New tropical system could emerge from stormy weather in Atlantic, forecasters say

A new tropical system could emerge within the next week from an area of stormy weather located off the coast of Africa as of Friday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.

A tropical wave is interacting with a low pressure area, generating unorganized showers and thunderstorms about 800 miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, off the coast of Africa, forecasters said.

The environment could be somewhat favorable for slow development later in the weekend into early next week while it moves west-northwest at about 10 mph. The disturbance is expected to meet conditions by the middle of next week that could hinder any further development, the NHC said.

As of 8 p.m. Friday, forecasters said it has a 20% chance of developing in the next seven days and little or no chance of developing in the next two days.

The next named storm to form would be Tropical Storm Dexter.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had initially forecast an expected 13 to 19 named storms for the year, of which six to 10 would grow into hurricanes. Three to five of those would develop into major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher.

Colorado State University researchers recently updated their forecast saying they expect the season to be slightly less active than what they had predicted earlier this year.

Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.