In spite of a decrease in convection shortly after forming, the large depression remained well organized, with a 575 mile wide wind field. On August 22, as it passed 140 miles (225 km) miles to south of the Cape Verde islands, deep convection developed over the center of circulation, and early on August 23 the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Debby about 300 miles southwest of Cape Verde. Banding features continued to organize as the system slowly strengthened, and on August 23 Debby reached its peak intensity of 50 mph over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Forecasters predicted Debby to continue to strengthen to reach hurricane status, while its projected path placed the storm in an area of warm water temperatures and moderate upper level shear.