Atlantic: Chances Increase For Tropical Development Outside Main Development Region, 'Fay' Could Form In Days
Atlantic: Chances Increase For Tropical Development Outside Main Development Region, 'Fay' Could Form In Days
Andrew Powell Wed, September 16, 2026 at 12:46 PM UTC
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Atlantic: Chances Increase For Tropical Development Outside Main Development Region, 'Fay' Could Form In Days ©(Photo by NOAA via Getty Images)
While the Atlantic basin has stayed historically dormant in 2026, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is now eyeing new activity. Just days after the peak of hurricane season, an area of interest has emerged in the central Atlantic.
Positioned several hundred miles east-southeast of Bermuda, the feature as of overnight Wednesday consists of nothing more than a ragged cluster of rain showers and thunderstorms, according to the NHC.
Rather than originating as a classic wave off the coast of Africa — the traditional breeding ground for September storms — this system is developing in the subtropical Atlantic. (RELATED: Southern California Hit With Over 70 Earthquakes As Experts Warn 'Big One' May Strike Sooner Than Previously Thought)
Because it sits outside the Main Development Region (MDR), which is the Atlantic's primary hurricane highway, the unusual location alone makes it a compelling system for meteorologists to track.
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Although harsh wind shear blocks any organization as of early Wednesday, that atmospheric roadblock will soon ease. Within the coming days, conditions should improve enough to allow a tropical depression or Tropical Storm Fay to take shape.
The National Hurricane Center pegs the system's odds of organizing into at least a tropical depression at a medium level over the next seven days.
If the current thunderstorm activity can survive the initial hurdles, NHC forecasters note that a viable window for tropical development could open up around the end of the week.
Tracking west-northwest over the open Atlantic, the system remains far from any coastline and presents no immediate threat to land.
With seasonal autumn patterns beginning to take hold, forecasters anticipate an approaching cold front will eventually sweep the system up and recurve it northeastward out to sea, keeping land safe.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
