In late September, a large non-tropical system over the north-central Atlantic slowly moved westward away from the Azores. The low produced hurricane-force winds, but did not exhibit the characteristics of a tropical cyclone. The storm steadily weakened over the following days, but developed tropical characteristics as it moved over slightly warmer waters. By September 29, the low had developed sufficient convection and was declared Subtropical Storm Laura. Upon being upgraded, cold cloud tops began to wrap around the center of Laura and consolidate near the center of circulation. The convection organized around the center quickly and a satellite pass over the storm revealed that it could be intensifying. A later satellite pass disregarded the possibility of intensification as the intensity was confirmed to be at 60 mph (95 km/h).