NHC tracking distant tropical wave as Fay devolves into depression

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Sep 22, 2026

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Tropical Storm Fay diminished back into a tropical depression on Tuesday as the National Hurricane Center continued tracking it and a forecast tropical wave coming off the coast of Africa.

As of the 11 a.m. advisory, the center of Fay was located about 645 miles southwest of the Azores moving southwest at 10 mph with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. It had reached a max intensity of 65 mph on Monday.

“A gradual turn toward the west-southwest and then west is expected through midweek,” forecasters said. “Fay is likely to degenerate into a post-tropical remnant low today.”

It is no threat to land.

The NHC also continued to forecast that a tropical wave would move off the western coast of Africa by Wednesday.

“Although environmental conditions are not expected to be particularly conducive, some slow development of this system is possible while it moves generally northwestward across the far eastern Atlantic,” forecasters said. “Interests in the Cape Verde Islands should monitor the progress of this system as gusty winds and areas of heavy rain are possible there by the end of the week.”

The NHC gave it a 30% chance to develop in the next seven days.

If it were to become strong enough, it could become Tropical Storm Gonzalo.

Fay became the sixth named storm of this slow Atlantic hurricane season. So far the hurricane season has yet to produce an actual hurricane, though, but has seen the formation of tropical storms Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly and Edouard.

Edouard made landfall in Louisiana with the NHC’s last advisory coming on Sept. 3 as it moved inland over Texas.

It’s been quiet in the tropics since then.

Hurricane season began June 1 and runs through Nov. 30, but the height of hurricane season runs from mid-August through mid-October.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last month updated its seasonal forecast and now expects between seven and 13 named storms this year. Of those, two to six would become hurricanes. It also predicted that there might not be any major hurricanes this year, or at most two.

Already, 2026 was forecast to have lower-than-average storm generation, and that has been reduced even further with the latest forecasts from the NOAA and other weather groups.

An average year would see 14 named storms and seven hurricanes, with three of those growing to Category 3 strength or higher.

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