Overview

• The disturbance known as Invest 97 is located southeast of the Cape Verde Islands with a 30% chance of formation in two days and an 80% chance in seven days
• Environmental factors including record-warm sea surface temperatures and low wind shear favor development into a tropical depression by mid to late week at 15–20 mph
• A secondary trough in the central Atlantic carries only a 10% probability of formation in 48 hours and 20% over seven days due to surrounding dry air
• NOAA’s updated outlook calls for 13–18 named storms this season, including five to nine hurricanes and two to five major hurricanes
• Forecasters caution that it is too soon to predict whether Invest 97 will impact the Caribbean or U.S. coastlines