Tropical Depression 13 Becomes Michael

CREDIT: NOAA. View full size image

Update 10:40 a.m. ET: Tropical Storm Michael has officially formed as of the 11 a.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Center.

This article was provided by AccuWeather.com.

AccuWeather.com Meteorologists are monitoring Tropical Depression 13 which formed late on Monday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. EDT in the central Atlantic.

The rather small system has the capability of attaining tropical storm status within the next 24 hours or so.

The depression is currently located over 1,300 miles to the west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands and is well removed from any land mass as it churns in the central Atlantic.

With a slow movement to the northwest, this small and compact tropical system will continue to stay away from any land mass.

Satellite loop of Tropical Depression 13 from NOAA.

Although the storm is tracking over fairly warm waters which could help the storm strengthen over the next 24 hours, the warm waters might not be enough for further development.

According to AccuWeather.com Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski, "There is about a 24-hour window of opportunity for this weak system to intensify into a tropical storm. Beyond 24 hours, strong shear will overtake the system causing it to weaken back to a depression then remnant low pressure area by the end of the week."

The shear, associated with a trough of low pressure swinging through the central Atlantic, should rip the upper-level part of the storm from the lower part causing it to rapidly weaken.

Outside of Tropical Storm Leslie slowly churning north of the Lesser Antilles, the rest of the Atlantic Basin remains quiet with no areas of concern for imminent development across the remainder of the basin.