National Hurricane Center monitoring AL94 as next possible tropical storm

After the National Hurricane Center had three hurricanes to follow in the Atlantic basin last week, including Hurricane Milton, this week has gotten off to a much quieter start.

Currently, there are no named tropical storms or hurricanes in the Atlantic for the National Hurricane Center to track, but there is one disturbance that is drawing the agency's attention. AL94 has formed in the open Atlantic Ocean and is moving to the west.

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Although AL94 has a slim chance of development before Thursday, the National Hurricane Center says there is a 60% chance the system will turn into a tropical depression or tropical storm by Sunday.

The system's development is being hampered by dry air but will move into a more favorable area for growth. The storm system is expected to move toward the Leeward Islands this weekend.

It's too early to tell if the system will pose any threat to the mainland U.S. if it develops.

The next tropical storm to form in the Atlantic will be given the name Nadine.

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So far in 2024, there have been 13 named systems with nine hurricanes and four major hurricanes. Three of the major hurricanes that formed in the Atlantic directly impacted the U.S., including two that were major hurricanes at the time of landfall.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck the Florida Gulf Coast just weeks apart as major hurricanes. Hurricane Beryl, which reached Category 5 status days before approaching the U.S., made landfall in Texas as a Category 1 hurricane.