TALLAHASSEE, FL. — After weeks of quiet the tropics have produced another named storm. This is the 7th named storm of the season, which is 5 storms behind what we usually see this time of year.
This system started off as a tropical wave off the coast of Africa at the end of last week. The chances of development were low at first, and it was unlikely to form into anything substantial. On Tuesday the 16th, the system moved into favorable conditions and become Invest-AL22 (Tropical Investment in the Atlantic 22).
This morning at 5am Invest-AL22 became a Tropical Depression with a more defined center, and max winds of 35mph. As of 11am this morning the localized winds around the center were reportedly 45 mph. This is beyond the threshold needed for a Tropical Storm designation, and it was named Gabrielle.
Gabrielle will likely stay in the Atlantic, however it has the potential to strengthen into a Category 1 Hurricane by early morning Sunday.
There is another area to watch off the coast of Africa, but as of now the chances of development are low.
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