Tropical Storm Gordon, the seventh named storm of what is expected to be an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season in 2024, formed Friday morning far out over the open ocean.

From 5:00pm ET Friday, The storm is located about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) off the U.S. East Coast and is moving west-northwest at 10 mph (16 km/h).

According to the official forecast from the National Hurricane Center, Gordon will move slowly westward over the open Atlantic Ocean over the next few days and may even weaken to a tropical depression.

In addition, most computer models show the system making a turn out to sea from North America.

Meanwhile, Francine weakened to a post-tropical cyclone, but was still a dangerous storm that produced heavy rainfall across parts of the Southeast and the Tennessee Valley.

Where is Tropical Storm Gordon?

At 5 p.m. EDT on Friday, the center of Tropical Storm Gordon was located about 1,045 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph.

The storm is moving west-northwest at 12 mph. A turn to the west is forecast for later tonight, with the system slowing over the weekend.

According to the hurricane center, slight strengthening is expected today, after which a weakening trend will occur on Saturday.

Gordon is the seventh named storm of the season

Gordon is the seventh named storm of the season. If it becomes a hurricane, which is not yet forecast, it would be the fifth hurricane of the season, along with Beryl, Debby, Ernesto and Francine.

It’s only the second named storm to form since Aug. 12. According to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach, the last time only one named storm formed in the Atlantic between Aug. 13 and Sept. 12 was in 1997.

An average year has 14 named storms, 7 of which develop into hurricanes. Some forecasts for this year even predicted 33 named storms.

Spaghetti Models of Tropical Storm Gordon

Special Note on Spaghetti Models: Spaghetti model illustrations include a variety of forecasting tools and models, and not all are created equal. The National Hurricane Center uses only the four or five best performing models to create its forecasts.

Hello, Helene?

In addition to Gordon, meteorologists were also monitoring an area closer to home, near the southeastern coast of the United States, for disturbed weather. Tropical or subtropical development is possible next week.

“Within a few days, a non-tropical low pressure area could develop along a remnant frontal boundary a few hundred miles off the southeastern U.S. coastline,” the National Hurricane Center said in an online forecast posted Friday.

“Thereafter, some subtropical or tropical development is possible early next week as the system drifts north or northwest,” the hurricane center said.

If it were to have a name, it would be called Helene.

There is another disturbance underway in the open Atlantic Ocean, but the chance of it developing further is almost 0%, the hurricane center said Friday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Gordon Forms: Which Way Will the Storm Go?