Invest 99L located about halfway between the Cabo Verde Islands and the Lesser Antilles has been a borderline Tropical Depression for the better part of 18 hours and recently has begun organizing even more. With this latest round of betterment, NHC has updated the afternoon TWO to reflect thinking that it may be upgraded to an official Tropical Depression later today.

There has been some understandable hesitation for upgrading, given that it has been facing some shear and nearby dry air, with tepid model support. However, the models are likely doing a lackluster job of handling the relatively small tropical cyclone due to its size and lack of good input data for a feature so far out in open waters.

NHC odds for classification have gone up to 70%, arguably very conservative, and there seems to be a chance that 99L will not only be added to the data base in real-time as a T.D., but that it could earn a name as well. While it may be more likely to be a short-lived system, models on 99L should be taken with a grain of salt.

Given its increasingly closer proximity to land and that the system is for all practical intents and purposes already a Tropical Cyclone, we are starting a Lounge on it now.

Edit: 99L has been upgraded to TD SIX and now at 12AM August 21st the cyclone has been upgraded to Gert.
-Ciel