Map Shows Atlantic Tropical Depression Path After El Niño Quiet

Tropical Depression Six formed Saturday in the eastern subtropical Atlantic, about 525 miles southwest of the Azores, the National Hurricane Center said. It is the first system of note in a season meteorologists describe as unusually quiet, a lull linked to El Niño conditions suppressing Atlantic storm formation while the Eastern Pacific has churned out more than a dozen named systems.

The NHC reported maximum sustained winds near 35 mph and forward motion of about two mph to the north, with a turn toward the northeast expected before the system curves back southwest. Forecasters at AccuWeather said wind shear and dry air will likely cap it at tropical storm strength before it weakens by the middle of next week.

No coastal watches or warnings are in effect and no land areas are currently affected, the agency said. Should the system strengthen, it would be named Fay, the sixth named storm of a season that has so far produced Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly and Edouard.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.