 The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) first pinpointed the system as an area for potential development late on September 2 while it was about west-southwest of Cape Verde.However, an upper-level trough associated with the developing Hurricane Florence to its west increased wind shear across the region, which prevented significant tropical cyclone development over the next week.However, on September 5, the NHC noted the potential for the storm system to organize into a tropical depression within the next several days, but its close proximity to Florence continued to stall its strengthening.