With two different systems battling to take the name, Tropical Storm Dolly could form later this week in the south Atlantic, days after Cristobal forms. Both systems will likely face significant obstacles, due in part to a strong, still-intensifying El Niño.

Areas to watch in the tropical Atlantic

The southernmost area shown in red above has a high chance of developing. The NHC has designated that area of low pressure, Invest 92L. That's a designation of an area to watch that allows higher-resolution forecast models to be run on it and for the Hurricane Hunters to investigate it.

The area is located over 2,000 miles east of the Lesser Antilles, the north-south chain of islands at the eastern end of the Caribbean Sea. So, that system is really far from land right now.

(MORE: What all tropical terms actually mean)

The NHC is also monitoring a tropical wave that just moved offshore of the coast of west Africa, trailing hundreds of miles behind the first wave. This wave is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms but could see development in the next several days as it moves generally to the west. The NHC has designated this area Invest 94L.

The next system with winds of at least 39 mph, will be named Tropical Storm Dolly.

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Latest on Cristobal

After weeks of quiet weather in the Atlantic Basin, the third storm of the Atlantic hurricane season formed Wednesday morning.

Cristobal is located well over 500 miles west of the Azores in the subtropical Atlantic and is no threat to land. It will continue to track northeastward over the next day or so, and is expected to fizzle out completely by midday Thursday.

New systems will face challenges in the days ahead

Despite formation in the Atlantic, Cristobal and any other potential systems face significant obstacles to staying alive.

One is wind shear.

Tropical systems don't like wind shear. It either rips them apart or tilts and weakens them.

The map below shows where wind shear is high right now in the purple contours. Notice the west-to-east tongues of high wind shear? That's being turbocharged by a strong and still strengthening El Niño.

(MORE: Super El Niño already affecting hurricane season)

In fact, wind shear in the Caribbean and eastern Atlantic has been the strongest on record, due to the intensifying El Niño, according to Colorado State University tropical scientist Phil Klotzbach.

If the systems from Africa manage to make it as far west as the Lesser Antilles, and that could happen by Sunday for the first, then it could face more formidable wind shear and get ripped apart sometime after that.

Even before these systems get there, they could face some dry air, another nemesis of tropical systems.

What you should know

The bottom line is there isn't much to worry about, for now, particularly for the mainland U.S.

Interests in the Lesser Antilles should closely watch the forecast, as always, as we head into the typical heart of hurricane season.

Sometimes forecasts can change and do so quickly.

Despite a quieter hurricane season expected, that doesn't mean there won't be any storms.

Prepare now while it's still quiet in case that "one storm" in a generally quiet season threatens your area.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.