There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

None.

At 500 AM AST (0900 UTC), the center of Tropical Depression Seventeen was located near latitude 17.3 North, longitude 42.1 West. The depression is moving toward the westnorthwest near 6 mph (9 km/h), and this motion is expected to continue for the next few days with a gradual increase in forward speed.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 km/h) with higher gusts. Some slow strengthening is forecast over the next few days, and the depression is expected to become a tropical storm later today.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 1006 mb (29.71 inches).

Tropical Depression Seventeen is a large tropical cyclone, with its circulation evident several hundred miles from its center. An area of deep convection has developed tonight just over and to the east of its center with cloud top temperatures as low as -80 degrees C. However, there appears to be some dry air in the northwestern portion of the cyclone's circulation limiting convection there. The latest Dvorak satellite intensity estimates from TAFB and UW-CIMSS support keeping the initial intensity at 30 kt.

The depression has been moving west-northwestward at about 5 kt over the past 12 hours. This general motion is expected to continue throughout the 5-day forecast period, with some increase in forward speed over the next couple of days as the cyclone is steered by a weak mid-level ridge to its north. The overall guidance shifted slightly to the north through day 3 and the latest NHC forecast lies in between the previous one and the consensus track guidance through this time period. For days 3 through 5, the forecast track is little changed from the previous one and is in good agreement with the fairly tightly clustered track guidance. Other than some dry air in the vicinity of the depression, the overall environment looks favorable for strengthening over the next few days. However, due to the large size of the circulation, strengthening may occur more slowly than what might be expected from a more compact cyclone. Therefore, only gradual strengthening is indicated in the official forecast during that time. By 72 h, increasing vertical wind shear should limit further intensification, and may cause some weakening to occur. The latest NHC intensity forecast is a blend of the previous one and the HFIP corrected consensus, HCCA.