Hurricanes: Danielle in the wings
The fourth named storm of season could form this weekend.
The 2010 hurricane season, so heralded by forecasters and so slow to unfold, appears to be showing some signs of life as the season approaches its climatological peak.
An area of showers and thundestorms is growing about 275 miles off the African coast, and the National Weather Service is giving it a 40 percent chance of becoming a tropical storm by Sunday morning.
It could mutate into a major hurricane as it plows across the North Atlantic, but it's a long shot to have any impact on the U.S. East Coast.
The forecasters have stuck with their calls for a hyper-active season, and Accu-Weather's Joe Bastardi, who predicted 18 to 21 named storms to form in the Atlantic Basin, says he expects a "frenzy" of activity from here on out.
While the quiet start may be puzzling to long-range forecasters and even disappointing for connoisseurs of extreme weather, it has been magnificent for residents and property owners along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts.