NASA spots ninth system of busy storm year

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- NASA says its Aqua satellite has captured the birth of the ninth tropical depression of a busy Atlantic storm year, trailing east of Tropical Storm Fiona.

Tropical Depression 9 grew out of an area of circulation with strong convection in the central Atlantic, NASA said in a release Wednesday.

Located about 830 miles west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands, the depression has maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and is moving west at 15 mph.

Although there are warm sea surface temperatures over the 80 degree Fahrenheit threshold needed to power up tropical cyclones, there is wind shear in the area, so intensification could be slow to occur, NASA said.

If the depression becomes a tropical storm it would be named "Gaston," the agency said.