The unexpectedly tame 2024 Atlantic hurricane season had the formation of its seventh named storm on Friday. Tropical Depression Seven strengthened into Tropical Storm Gordon Friday morning, but is currently no threat to land and likely to stay weak, at least in the short term.

As of 11:00 a.m. EDT Friday, Tropical Storm Gordon was centered near 19.4°N 38.6°W. Maximum sustained winds were 35 knots (40 mph), with an estimated minimum pressure of 1006 mb. Gordon is expected to continue on a generally westward motion through next Tuesday, when it could turn to the north if it does not degenerate into a remnant low before then. Although the vertical shear is not particularly high – only around 10-15 knots – mid-level dry air and atmospheric stability are expected to limit much intensification over the next few days. In fact, most of the model guidance suggests that Gordon could degenerate into a remnant low, at least temporarily. If Gordon remains a tropical cyclone, it could encounter more favorable conditions early next week. The ECMWF model shows significant strengthening at that time, but the GFS now shows the cyclone dissipating. Regardless, Gordon is no imminent threat to land.