The National Hurricane Center on Wednesday afternoon said it is monitoring a tropical wave forecast to move offshore of west Africa within two days.

“Environmental conditions could support some slow development of the system over the weekend into early next week as the wave moves to the west-northwest at about 15 mph over the eastern and central tropical Atlantic,” forecasters said in the 2 p.m. advisory.

The NHC gives the system a 20% chance to form within seven days.

If it were to develop, it would be the seventh tropical cyclone of the season and have the name Gabrielle.

Only one of the six named storms this season — Hurricane Erin — reached hurricane status and it grew to a powerful Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds but never made landfall.

Sept. 10 is considered the peak of the

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