At 11 a.m. EDT, System 96L strengthened and was designated the Atlantic Ocean Hurricane Season’s seventh tropical depression (TD7). At that time, TD7 had maximum sustained winds near 35 mph, and is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm. If TD7 does strengthen, it would become Tropical Storm Earl.

TD7 is still in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean, about 430 miles west of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands, near 14.3 North and 30.8 West. It is moving west near 17 mph, and has a minimum central pressure of 1007 millibars.

Tropical Depression 7 on August 25 at 0335 UTC (Aug. 24 at 11:35 p.m. EDT) the infrared data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument showed some strong convection (purple) in the northwestern and southwestern quadrants of the storm. Those high cloud tops were as cold as or colder than -63 degrees Fahrenheit, indicating strong convection and well-developed thunderstorms.

By this morning, August 25, TD7 has “well-defined cyclonically-curved convective bands…and an established upper-level outflow in the western semicircle,” according to the National Hurricane Center. That means that the depression is getting organized.

TD7 is expected to become Tropical Storm Earl later today, especially because there are unusually warm waters in the tropical Atlantic that will help fuel its development. AIRS data showed that the waters are over the 80 degree Fahrenheit threshold needed to power tropical cyclones.

Tropical Depression 6 that formed on August 22 at 5 a.m. EDT. By 5 p.m. EDT that same day, the depression had already strengthened into Tropical Storm Danielle and it is now headed west toward the central Atlantic Ocean.

By 5 a.m. EDT on August 23, Tropical Storm Danielle had maximum sustained winds near 60 mph. Danielle is now expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Tuesday, August 24. Danielle’s center was located about 850 miles west of the southernmost Cape Verde islands near 14.8 North and 37.1 West. It was moving west-northwest near 14 mph and is expected to speed up in forward motion. Danielle’s estimated minimum central pressure is 997 millibars.

East of Danielle is another area that forecasters are watching for development. It is an area of disturbed weather located near the west coast of Africa, associated with a tropical wave. Some slow development of that system is possible over the next couple of days as it moves westward. However, there’s only a 10 percent chance it will develop into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours.