Talk of Oscar in the Atlantic

hurricane season 2012, tropical lull, tropical storm Oscar, Atlantic — This satellite image of the large disturbance centered east of Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean.

(Image credit: National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS).)

This article was provided by AccuWeather.com.

While a tropical lull continues in the Atlantic, there is a chance that a system will take shape near Bermuda into the weekend. If not, there is more hurricane season to go.

According to Expert Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski, head of AccuWeather.com's Hurricane Center, "The system spinning east of Bermuda has a narrow window for development, before a trough of low pressure sweeps off the East Coast of the United States and increases the wind shear over the area."

Dry air and a cool core around the system would suggest that the feature may not be totally tropical, but rather a hybrid or subtropical system.

"Regardless of official classification, squalls and rough surf conditions will affect the islands of Bermuda into the weekend," Kottlowski said.

Since the lifespan of the feature is likely to be short, it appears unlikely that the storm will ramp up to a strong tropical storm or hurricane.

As the trough moves off the U.S. East coast this weekend, some of the moisture from the Atlantic system can be drawn northward into part of Atlantic Canada, enhancing showers and thunderstorms in the region.

While the odds of a direct hit on the U.S. by any future tropical cyclone this season seem to be diminishing given the prevailing westerlies, there will be other opportunities for another storm to gather the name Oscar in the coming weeks with the southern and central Atlantic remaining "grouchy."

The system currently near Bermuda is not likely to win any Oscar for best performance of this year's Atlantic hurricane season.