A developing weather system about 900 miles southeast of Hilo has a high chance of forming into a tropical cyclone in the next few days, according to forecasters.

“Environmental conditions are conducive for further development over the next couple of days as the low moves slowly toward the north-northwest,” forecasters said Tuesday, adding that the system has a 70 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone within the next two days.

The National Weather Service gave state and county emergency management and civil defense agencies an initial briefing on the system, now called tropical disturbance 96-C.

Officials at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said, “the track and potential impacts of TD 96-C are extremely uncertain at this time, but NWS reports show heavy thunderstorm activity with favorable conditions for organization of the system to take place sometime during the next one to four days.” 

Vern Miyagi, administrator of state Emergency Management, said the public should monitor media reports on the storm over the next few days. 

Any potential effects for the islands from the storm would be seen early next week, state officials said.

The next tropical storm to form in the Pacific will be named Niala.

Meanwhile, a high pressure system in the wake of the former Tropical Storm Malia will keep trade winds blowing at 10 to 20 mph, possibly through the weekend. Officials at the National Weather Service say we can expect occassional windward and mauka showers.

Malia, which is now a post-tropical cyclone, was still packing maximum sustained winds near 40 mph as it continued on a north-northwest track away from the Hawaii Tuesday. It is expected to weaken over colder waters and become a “remnant low” by Wednesday.

A tropical storm warning for portions of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument from French Frigate Shoals to Maro Reef to Lisianski Island was canceled early Tuesday morning.

The Pacific Ocean has seen an above-average hurricane season fueled by warmer waters from the El Nino weather condition. So far this summer, the Eastern Pacific has had 12 named storms, including four that entered the Central Pacific, while Malia was the sixth named storm that formed in the Central Pacific.