Forecasters are carefully watching Invests 95L and 96, which have formed in the Atlantic, for tropical development this week.
If either system strengthens, Dolly, the fourth named storm of the 2026 Atlantic basin hurricane season, could form this week, experts said.
The word "invest" is used frequently during hurricane season, but many don't know exactly what it means.
The term is a designation for weather systems that tropical cyclone forecast centers, like the National Hurricane Center, use to identify potential tropical depressions or storms, according to the Weather Channel. Simply put, invests are areas of interest.
Short for investigation, the word "invest" is used as forecasters collect specialized data sets and run model guidance on these systems before they become a tropical depression or storm.
"Designating a system as an invest initiates specialized data collection, computer model runs and possible Hurricane Hunter aircraft missions," The Weather Channel said.
Invests are given numbers from 90 to 99, followed by a letter indicating the basin. "L" indicates the northern Atlantic, while "E" stands for the Eastern Pacific, "C" for Central Pacific and "W" for Western Pacific.
The numbering sequence for invests restarts at 90 after reaching 99, with each basin getting its own sequence.
Just because forecasters identify an invest doesn't mean it will strengthen; it just means it has the potential to develop further and more information is needed.
"The designation of a system as an invest does not correspond to any particular likelihood of development of the system into a tropical cyclone," the NHC said.
Invest 95L is an area of low pressure located a few hundred miles east-northeast of Bermuda on Tuesday morning, according to the NHC's Tropical Weather Outlook.
This system is moving north-northeast at 15 to 20 mph with shower activity that remains disorganized, and broad, elongated circulation, experts said.
"This system could still become a short-lived tropical depression or storm later [Tuesday] before encountering increasingly hostile conditions [Tuesday night] and Wednesday, likely ending its chances for development," the NHC said.
There's a 40 percent chance that INvest 95L will strengthen over the next two days, the agency said.
Meanwhile, in the eastern tropical Atlantic, Invest 96L has a 70 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression or storm over the next two days, the NHC said.
This area of low pressure is centered a few hundred miles south-southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands, producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms, on Tuesday morning.
"Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development, and this system is likely to become a tropical depression during the next day or two while it moves westward to west-northwestward across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic," the NHC said. "Environmental conditions could become less conducive for development by the weekend."
"[This] new wave that just moved off the west coast of Africa looks to have a good chance of developing, though there is still a somewhat hostile environment ahead. Plenty of time to watch it," Fox 13's Paul Dellegatto wrote in a social media post.
He added, "It's been a real struggle this season for tropical waves to develop as they move across the Atlantic. Extensive dry air and wind shear have been the story so far this season."
Denis Phillips, chief meteorologist for Tampa Bay 28, wrote in a social media post that he also expects 96L to strengthen this week, though it will likely be short-lived if it becomes a tropical storm.
"This is likely to become a tropical depression over the next day or two. Closer to the weekend, environmental conditions then become less favorable," Phillips wrote.
Meteorologists are monitoring these invests as they continue to lower their forecasts for the 2026 hurricane season.
AccuWeather last week changed its forecast to eight to 11 named storms, three to four hurricanes and one to two major hurricanes this year.
Earlier this month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also lowered its seasonal forecast.
NOAA reduced its forecast to seven to 13 named storms, two to six hurricanes and zero to two major hurricanes. The agency also increased the probability of a below-normal season from 55 percent in its May outlook to 75 percent.
Both forecasts point to El Niño as a major reason for the expected slowdown.
The climate pattern develops in the Pacific but can influence weather patterns around the globe. In the Atlantic, El Niño typically increases vertical wind shear, making it more difficult for tropical systems to organize and strengthen.
So far, the Atlantic has been unusually quiet. Just three tropical storms — Arthur, Bertha and Cristobal — had formed as of Aug. 19, with activity running behind several historical benchmarks.
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