 In early December , an upper @-@ level trough stalled to the south of a ridge in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean . Late on December 3 , an extratropical storm formed about 415 mi ( 260 km ) south of the Azores , and with the ridge to the north , it executed a cyclonic loop . Amplified by an upper @-@ level low to the west , the storm produced a large area of gale @-@ force winds . Early on December 4 the winds began to decrease . With low wind shear and water temperatures of 72 ° F ( 22 ° C ) , the system developed an area of convection near the center . At around 18 : 00 UTC on December 4 , the NHC noted in a tropical weather outlook that further development was possible before the cyclone encountered more unfavorable conditions . 
