Invest 99L Near Azores Hits 80% Development Odds as Atlantic Season Stays Record-Quiet
Updated
Updated · Fox Weather · Sep 18
Invest 99L Near Azores Hits 80% Development Odds as Atlantic Season Stays Record-Quiet
3 articles · Updated · Fox Weather · Sep 18
Summary
Invest 99L, several hundred miles southwest of the Azores, now has an 80% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone within 48 hours and is forecast to become Tropical Depression Six by Saturday.
Low wind shear and ocean temperatures in the 80s are helping the system organize quickly in the subtropical Atlantic, north of the El Niño-driven hostile wind belt that has suppressed most Atlantic development.
The disturbance is expected to remain southwest of the Azores before turning southwest early next week, with conditions becoming less favorable Sunday night or Monday; if named, it would become Fay, the season's sixth storm.
The setup stands out because the Atlantic is off to its quietest satellite-era start, with just five named storms and no hurricanes so far—already the latest point in a season without a hurricane forming.