A tropical cyclone is brewing in the Atlantic, but hurricane season has yet to arrive

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A below-average hurricane season? A look at the names, early predictions for 2019

The 2019 Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through Nov. 30. Here’s a look at the season’s early predictions — and what this year’s storms will be named.

The 2019 Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through Nov. 30. Here’s a look at the season’s early predictions — and what this year’s storms will be named.

A tropical cyclone could form in the Atlantic in the next few days and barrel toward Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Whether the storm will track toward the Carolinas or elsewhere on the coast is too early to predict, as of Saturday afternoon.

A map on the center’s website shows a large blob where the cyclone could form. It appears headed toward the Carolinas, but hurricane center forecasters have cautioned in the past that such early maps do not show a storm’s path. Maps with a predicted storm track are released closer to when a storm develops, center forecasters previously told The Charlotte Observer.

The tropical or subtropical cyclone could develop by midweek, according to a 1:25 p.m. Saturday update by the center. Such storms can pack winds of up to 73 mph, the center’s website shows.

Chances of a cyclone forming increased from 30 percent Friday afternoon to 40 percent Saturday afternoon, according to the center.

An area of “disturbed weather” several hundred miles south of Bermuda could spawn the cyclone as the system continues to heads north, hurricane center forecasters said.

The hurricane center will issue its next update at 2 a.m. Sunday.

The cyclone would hit 1 1/2 weeks before hurricane season officially begins in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico June 1. The season ends Nov. 30.