Tropical Depression Don, moving in a large loop over the central Atlantic, could become a tropical storm in a few days.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, Don was 795 miles west of the Azores, which are in the mid-Atlantic about 1,000 miles off the coast of Portugal. It is moving southeast at 14 mph and is expected to make a southward turn Tuesday, then head west and west-northwest later in the week, the National Hurricane Center said.
The depression’s maximum sustained wind speeds are 35 mph, and nearly all experts’ models show it becoming a tropical storm within the next few days, according to the center’s forecast discussion. It could strengthen further later in the week.
No additional cyclone activity is forecast in the hurricane center’s seven-day outlook.
The next named storm would be Emily.
Recently, meteorologists with Colorado State University upped their forecast to an “above normal” hurricane season in the Atlantic this year due to the “extreme anomalous warmth” of sea surface temperatures.
The intensifying effect of that warm water appears to be winning out over the tempering effects of El Niño, forecasters said. The battle between the two weather patterns is incredibly rare, making predictions especially difficult this year.
In the initial forecast released in April, CSU meteorologists called for 13 named storms and six hurricanes, two of which were expected to be major. In June, meteorologists increased their forecast to 15 named storms and seven hurricanes, three of them major.
The July 6 updated forecast now predicts 18 named storms and nine hurricanes, four of which will be major. The forecast already includes an unnamed subtropical storm in January and Tropical Storms Arlene, Bret and Cindy in June.
