Tropical Depression Six forms in the Atlantic, expected to strengthen to Tropical Storm Fay by Sunday
With no threat to land, the system is expected to become Tropical Storm Fay sometime on Sunday.
Invest 99L likely to become Tropical Depression Six in the Atlantic this weekend
Invest 99L's odds of development keep rising and forecasts show it's likely to become Tropical Depression Six by Saturday. If the system were to continue to develop, it would get the name Fay, and be the sixth named storm in the Atlantic this year.
THE TAKEAWAY
- Tropical Depression Six, formerly Invest 99L, has formed in the Atlantic Ocean.
- TD Six is expected to become Tropical Storm Fay sometime on Sunday.
- The Atlantic hurricane season is off to its quietest start on record, dating to the beginning of the satellite era (1960).
Tropical Depression Six has formed in the Atlantic Ocean, southwest from the Azores, packing winds of 35 mph.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Tropical Depression Six is slow-moving at 2 mph and is forecast to move southwest across the Atlantic Ocean.
With no threat to land, the system is expected to become Tropical Storm Fay sometime on Sunday.
Tropical Depression 6 strengthens in the Atlantic. (CIRA/NOAA / NOAA)
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TROPICAL DEPRESSION, TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE?
The storm, formerly known as Invest 99L, is forecast to meander through the weekend before a dip in the jet stream approaches from the east, steering the system south into the central Atlantic next week.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, the system is not expected to impact land.
A tropical depression is a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds below 39 mph. Once it forms, the National Hurricane Center assigns it a number based on its order of formation during the hurricane season.
The Atlantic has experienced a quiet season, as brewing ‘Super' El Niño conditions have suppressed storm development while fueling tropical activity in the Pacific.
Tropical trouble has boiled up in the Pacific, with numerous hurricanes impacting Hawaii, while ushering in impacts to the West Coast.
With no hurricanes currently churning in the Atlantic, the basin has set a record for the latest first hurricane of the season — and that record will continue to grow.
According to the NHC, Tropical Depression Six is not expected to strengthen and will likely dissipate, extending the record-setting quiet streak.