Tropical Storm Don Forms

TAMPA, FL — Tropical Storm Don officially formed Monday afternoon as forecasters at the National Hurricane Center continued to keep close tabs on a second area of disturbed weather.

Tropical Storm Don was located about 485 miles east-southeast of Barbados as of the hurricane center's 5 p.m. Monday update. The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 40 mph while moving west at an estimated 17 mph.

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Earlier in the day, forecasters believed the system lacked a defined center. The projections changed, however, after an Air Force reconnaissance craft examined the storm more closely Monday afternoon.

Tropical storm watches have gone up for Barbados, St. Vincent and St. Lucia. A tropical storm warning is in place for Grenada. Forecasters say tropical storm-force winds extent out 25 miles from Don's center.

On its present path, Tropical Storm Don doesn't pose an immediate threat to the United States.

The second system under watch was located about 875 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands Monday afternoon. The system is expected to move toward the west-northwest or northwest over the open Atlantic Ocean over the next few days. Lacking a defined area of circulation, the storm has been given a 20 percent chance of developing more over the next 48 hours. Those chances rise to about 30 percent over the next five days.

Should the second storm strengthen enough to earn a name, it will be called Emily. While it’s still too early to tell what, if any, impacts the two storms may have on the U.S. coastline, they serve as reminders of the need to be prepared. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an above-average number of named storms this year.

Residents readying for the ongoing season can get tips and advice on the federal government’s Ready.gov website. Folks in the Tampa Bay area can also check out this related story: Hurricane Season 2017: What Tampa Bay Area Residents Need To Know. The Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.

Graphic courtesy of the National Hurricane Center