 The origins of Tropical Storm Cindy can be traced to a tropical wave that departed the western coast of Africa on August 8 , 1993 . Over the following days , the wave tracked steadily west @-@ northwestward across the tropical Atlantic while retaining a distinct cloud pattern on satellite images . Although initial data from a reconnaissance aircraft mission on August 13 indicated that the system lacked a defined wind circulation , a second mission at 1200 UTC the next day revealed an improvement in its structure at the lower levels of the atmosphere . The National Hurricane Center ( NHC ) thus classified the system as a tropical depression — a tropical cyclone with sustained winds of less than 39 mph ( 62 km / h ) — and initiated public advisories on it soon thereafter . 
