As Hank mentioned earlier today, this classified wave continues to slowly take shape. Looks like some consolidation may be starting to occur and given this systems overall size, would assume a primarily westward ( or WNW ) motion would ensue. Would not surprise me to see a slightly faster initial motion once the systems overall organization improves.

Aside from having spent my $500,000 winnings from Bertha / 1st named hurricane contest, I never would have anticipated such a record East Longitude area of formation. That, along with this years impressive tropical waves coming off Africa, I am even more curious as to the seeming lack of July Sahara dust, and the less than typical higher surface pressures in the tropics that is also common in July. Add these other curiosities, along with that which we have already seen this season, and this Atlantic season only continues to suggest a lot of interesting stuff to come. More importantly, Bertha had a recurvature track and will be curious to see if the next Eastern Atlantic tropical storm will follow suit or rather establish a more westward track. Normally when I see storm tracks which recurve, others forming in the same overall region tend to follow. Then again, the season is early and we may only now be seeing what the overall long wave pattern may be setting up to be. Given the overall typical ridging ( low and mid levels ) which is typical to July, I think the Greater Antilles need heed anything approaching from the east.

Having been away for a couple weeks, can anyone pass on what the most current SST's are for 94L, as well as the recent couple weeks trending for the central tropical Atlantic? I know the SST's off Africa were warm, but than cooled quickly.