Six named storms in the books, and it’s only mid-July – no doubt we’re in the midst of a very active hurricane season in the Atlantic.

Following Tropical Storm Fay along the East Coast of the U.S. last week, we’re in a bit of a lull right now with no areas of interest. Saharan dust is still abundant across the central Atlantic, which will continue to suppress tropical activity.

That being said, the atmosphere is set up in a such a way that should lead to a very active West African Monsoon over the next week or two, and subsequently several tropical waves rolling off the continent that we’ll need to keep an eye on.

Tropical Storm Edouard formed in the North Atlantic Sunday evening. It’s the earliest ‘E’ storm on record in the Atlantic. This will be racing northeast the next few days, with its remnants moving across the United Kingdom late next week.

In the northeastern Gulf, a weak area of low pressure is producing little to no convection at the moment. Development chances are slim before this crosses over Florida/Georgia. Once it emerges over the Atlantic in a few days, conditions will be favorable for some development, especially if it stays far enough offshore to avoid too much land interaction. We’ll keep you posted.