 A well @-@ organized tropical wave emerged off the western coast of Africa on September 3 . Initially disorganized with a broad area of low pressure , a burst of convection on September 5 led to a more concise center , and a tropical depression developed around 06 : 00 UTC that day while positioned about 175 mi ( 280 km ) south of Cape Verde . The depression intensified into Tropical Storm Grace twelve hours later . Embedded within a generally favorable environment , Grace strengthened to attain peak winds of 60 mph ( 95 km / h ) around 12 : 00 UTC on September 6 , when a mid @-@ level eye feature was evident on satellite . Thereafter , cooler waters and increased shear caused the cyclone to weaken to a tropical depression early on September 8 and dissipate at 12 : 00 UTC the next day while located within the central Atlantic . 
