Tropical Storm Danny In Atlantic Could Be Ocean's First Hurricane Of Season, But Track Unclear

The Atlantic Ocean could see its first hurricane of the 2015 season as soon as Friday. Tropical Storm Danny, the fourth named storm of the year so far, was gathering strength Wednesday morning about 1,385 miles east of the Caribbean's Windward Islands with maximum sustained winds at 50 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center's 11 a.m. advisory. Its specific trajectory was unclear, but it posed no immediate threat to land.

In the next few days Danny was expected to continue moving west-northwest, battling dry air that could prevent strong thunderstorms from forming, the Weather Channel reported. So far, the storm has avoided wind shear, which can hurt development.

"A track across the Windward or southern Leeward islands late Monday, then into the Caribbean later next week is most likely, provided the system remains relatively weak," AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski told USA Today, adding it could also curve to the northwest or simply fall apart before doing so.

The Atlantic hurricane season has been relatively calm, with four named storms: Ana, which technically formed before hurricane season began; Bill, which flooded Guatemala and parts of Oklahoma; Claudette, which weakened near Newfoundland; and Danny.

The season, which started June 1 and runs through Nov. 30, would be "one of the least active seasons since the middle of the 20th century," weather experts said, CNN reported. More specifically, AccuWeather predicted eight tropical storms and four hurricanes, with only one of them being major.

Another system was due to soon develop off the coast of Africa, but it's due to curve into the central Atlantic. "Steering winds favor a more northwest track with this second system when compared to the existing tropical depression, and potential impacts to land will likely be reduced, should it develop this weekend into next week," AccuWeather meteorologist Evan Duffey said.