Tropical Depression 15 forms off North Carolina coast as 3 other systems develop in Atlantic Ocean

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Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Tropical Depression 15 zooming away from North Carolina coast
Tropical Depression 15 zooming away from North Carolina coast

RALEIGH -- Tropical Depression 15 has formed off of the North Carolina coast as other systems continue to develop in the Atlantic Ocean.

There are three other tropical waves developing in the Atlantic storm basin Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The next storm that strengthens into a named tropical cyclone would be named Nana and could be the earliest N-named storm ever, which is becoming the norm this season.

The 2020 hurricane season is shaping up to be one of the most active on record. So far this season, Cristobal, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, and Marco all set records for being the earliest of their respective letters to ever form.

That means this season is on pace to break the record for most named storms ever. The previous record for most named storms happened in 2005 when 27 named storms formed, including 14 hurricanes.

Plus, the historical peak of hurricane season has not even arrived yet. That occurs Sept. 15.

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Next potential storm

Tropical Depression 15 formed off the coast of North Carolina Monday afternoon, according to the NHC.

As of the 11 p.m. update, Tropical Depression 15 is moving northeast at 14 mph. The system has maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. It is expected to zoom away from the coast and out to sea throughout the week.

A tropical wave in the eastern Caribbean Sea has an 80 percent chance to become a named tropical storm in the next five days.

This system reaches more conducive conditions slightly ahead of the tropical wave off the coast of Georgia. It's moving west at 15-20 miles per hour and could strengthen in the coming days.

People in Jamaica, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and the Yucatan peninsula have been urged to keep a close eye on this system's development.

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The other two tropical waves have much lower chances of developing into tropical storms in the next five days. One is located in the eastern Atlantic Ocean; the other is still forming over the west coast of Africa.

At this time, both storms are just being monitored as they move west into the Atlantic Ocean.