Strengthening 'Super' El Niño keeps hurricane season at record-quiet pace as forecasters track Invest 98L

National Hurricane Center meteorologists are keeping tabs on a tropical system in the open Atlantic during what has become the slowest start to a hurricane season in 60 years. The area of concern, designated Invest 98L, is drifting across open ocean waters far east of the mainland. Designating the low-pressure area as Invest 98L allows forecasters to collect specialized computer model data to monitor its trajectory, according to FOX Weather. The system is developing within an unusually inactive environment across the Atlantic basin. National Hurricane Center record-keeping stretching back to the beginning of the satellite era in 1966 confirms the current season is off to its quietest start on record. Only five named tropical storms have formed so far this year, with no systems reaching hurricane strength. Meteorologists will continue monitoring incoming model data to track potential development over open water. The disturbance remains thousands of miles away over open water, and local weather across the Philadelphia area and the broader Delaware Valley remains completely unaffected.