The National Hurricane Center as of Friday is tracking three areas that could develop into the season’s next tropical depression or storm.
As of the NHC’s 8 p.m. advisory, the newest area of interest is a tropical wave in the eastern Atlantic that is expected to move off the African coast early next week.
“A low pressure area may subsequently form in association with the wave as it moves westward at 15 to 20 mph across the eastern tropical Atlantic,” forecasters said.
The NHC gives the wave a 20% chance to develop within seven days.
Earlier Friday, forecasters began tracking a weak area of low pressure over the central subtropical Atlantic a few hundred miles east-southeast of Bermuda that is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms.
“Development of this system, if any, is expected to be slow to occur while it drifts west-southwestward through Sunday and then turns northward early next week,” the NHC said.
Forecasters give it a 10% chance to form within two days and 20% in the next seven.
Finally, the NHC continues to monitor a strong non-tropical area of low pressure over the northeastern Atlantic several hundred miles north-northeast of the Azores that is moving toward Portugal and northwestern Spain.
“This system could acquire some subtropical or tropical characteristics on Saturday or early Sunday while it moves east-southeastward at 10 to 15 mph,” forecasters said. “The opportunity for tropical or subtropical development should end by Sunday night when the system moves into unfavorable environmental conditions.”
The NHC gives the system a 20% chance to develop in the next two to seven days.
So far the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1 and runs through Nov. 30, has been slow with only three named systems: Tropical storms Arthur and Bertha and Cristobal.
The next names on the list are Dolly and Edouard.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration earlier this month updated its seasonal forecast and now expects between seven and 13 named storms this year. Of those, two to six would become hurricanes. It also predicted that there might not be any major hurricanes this year, or at most two.
Already, 2026 was forecast to have lower-than-average storm generation, and that has been reduced even further with the latest forecasts from the NOAA and other weather groups.
An average year would see 14 named storms and seven hurricanes, with three of those growing to Category 3 strength or higher.
The height of hurricane season has just begun and runs through mid-October.