On September 1, a tropical wave exited the west coast of Africa and quickly showed signs of organization. It possessed a low pressure area and some convection as the system moved generally westward. The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) first pinpointed the system as an area for potential development late on September 2 while it was about west-southwest of Cape Verde. However, an upper level trough associated with the developing Hurricane Florence to its west increased wind shear across the region, which prevented significant tropical cyclone development over the next week. However, on September 5, the NHC noted the potential for the storm system to organize into a tropical depression within the next several days, but its close proximity to Florence continued to stall its strengthening. By September 9, the trough moved far enough away from the system to allow wind shear to yield, signalling an increase in convective thunderstorm activity. Around 18:00 UTC that day, the system developed into a tropical depression about east-northeast of the Lesser Antilles.