So let's talk 96L
It's the latest in a line of homebrew region (in this case western Atlantic/off SE Coast) disturbances that is attempting to develop. It didn't come out of nowhere.
As I usually say, if you are only following surface depictions on the models for TC genesis, you are missing a lot. There were signals that we'd see a robust disturbance (but short of an actual TC) for days. The trend has been stronger in the most recent runs. I like looking at 850mb vorticity. As you'll see below, the last 8 runs have been more robust with the disturbance's vorticity, which is key to TC genesis.
But of course, there's more to it than that (though having some spin is essential). Let's take a look at SSTs. As @George BM noted, they've been warming quite nicely, even as temps near the coastline are a bit below normal currently.
Having a sufficiently warm SST profile, a pocket of lower wind shear, and marginal moisture aloft has allowed for some gradual organization of 96L. In fact, it actually looks pretty good at the moment, with a low level circulation developing and convection firing near it. Consistent convection near the center would substantially raise the odds of some weak development, and that looks like a decent bet as the system passes near the Gulf Stream tonight/tomorrow.
That said, there are some key environmental factors that strike against too much development. First is the dry air that is near the coast. While adequate, a more moist environment would be good for convection to fire.
The other thing is shear. This disturbance is impacted by a nearby upper level low, and while it's in a pocket of lower shear now, there could be increasing shear near the coast. That's something to watch.
The other thing is time. While there are conditions close to the coast that make TC genesis generally more favorable, the flip side is that anything that develops has a small window to intensify. That's good for the people of the coast of course.
Overall, the signals, while weak, were there with this one. I think given what we're seeing on satellite right now, we have a fragile invest that is attempting tropical cyclone genesis.