A low-pressure system is forming north-northeast of Bermuda, the US National Hurricane Centre forecast at 2pm today.

It was described at the time as being a few hundred miles from the island.

“Environmental conditions are expected to be marginally conducive for development, and the system could become a subtropical or tropical depression during the next few days while it moves generally eastward,” the forecast noted.

The centre gives the system a 40 per cent chance of becoming a storm over the next seven days.

It adds: “By the weekend, the low should turn northward, bringing the system over cooler waters, likely limiting additional development.”

A tropical cyclone generates winds of 38mph or less, according to the National Hurricane Centre. A system is described as a tropical storm when wind speeds are between 39mph and 73mph.

The Bermuda Weather Service had no tropical advisories as of late this afternoon. It did have a small-craft warning in effect through Tuesday morning.

Unsettled conditions are expected over the next few days.

The service said: “A series of troughs keep lines of showers marching through our area until midweek. In between rainfall, skies will brighten into sunny periods. By midweek, the occasionally strong southwest-to-west breeze will ease and the humidity will drop slightly as high pressure builds in from the northwest.”

Storm forecasters globally have been predicting that this year’s hurricane season will be more active than normal, with nearly 20 named storms expected.

Three named storms have been recorded this year — Arlene, Bret and Cindy — but none have developed into hurricanes.