The National Hurricane Center said Monday it is closely watching a system in the Atlantic Ocean that said could strengthen to a hurricane, following a couple weeks of big storms that affected both coasts of the U.S.
"Labor Day is busy across the Atlantic with 2 weak or dissipated tropical cyclones, and 3 candidates for development," the hurricane center posted on X, with a map of the potential tracks of the three candidates. "We are closely monitoring Invest #AL95 over the central Atlantic, which is expected to become a [tropical depression] or [tropical storm] in a day or two and strengthen more later this week."
On Aug. 20, Hilary became the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, flooding roads and toppling trees. Idalia, a Category 3 hurricane, made landfall on Aug. 30 in northern Florida, leaving heavy damage in its wake as it powered through the southeastern U.S.
In an 8 p.m. Monday update on its website, the hurricane center saids AL95 was located about 800 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands and was moving west-northwest at 15 mph to 20 mph across the central tropical Atlantic.
The hurricane center said, "additional strengthening, possibly to a hurricane, is likely later this week while the system moves over western portions of the tropical Atlantic, near or to the northeast of the northern Leeward Islands."
A strong tropical wave that is expected to move off the coast of West Africa on Tuesday also has grabbed the hurricane center's attention.
"Environmental conditions appear conducive for development once the wave moves offshore, and a tropical depression could form over the far eastern tropical Atlantic during the middle to latter part of the week while the system moves to the west or west-northwest at 10 to 15 mph," the center said. "This system is expected to move across the Cabo Verde Islands Wednesday night and Thursday."
The center said the wave has a 10% chance of intensifying in 48 hours and a 60% chance over the next seven days.
The center also is keeping track of a system that used to be Tropical Cyclone Franklin, which was located several hundred miles north of the Azores and is forecast to move quickly southeast toward warmer waters east of the Azores.
"This system could acquire some subtropical or tropical characteristics late this week or this weekend while it moves erratically between the Azores and Portugal," the center said.