Tropical Storm Maria Forms On Lee's Heels

TAMPA, FL — As Floridians continue to recover from Hurricane Irma’s ravaging run across the state, forecasters are keeping close tabs on three storms. While Hurricane Jose earned top billing with the National Hurricane Center Saturday evening, newly formed Tropical Storms Lee and Maria were also drawing attention.

Hurricane Jose was located about 485 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, by 5 p.m. Sept. 16. The Category 1 storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 80 mph while moving north at 6 mph. Hurricane center forecasters expect Jose to follow a path northward toward New England over the next few days before taking a turn to the east. (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Tampa Patch. Click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

While much of the northeast was in Jose's potential cone of impact Saturday morning, that changed by the evening. Even so, forecasters warned that tropical storm watches may still be needed over the next few days from North Carolina north to New England.

Hurricane-force winds were extending out from the eye by 45 miles while tropical storm-force winds extended 185 miles. No watches and warnings were in effect by Saturday morning.

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Newly formed Tropical Storm Lee was located about 720 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands Saturday evening. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was moving west at 10 mph. No watches or warnings were in place for Lee as of Saturday morning. Forecasters expect Lee to lose strength over the next few days with a downgrade to a tropical depression anticipated by Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, the storm called “Potential Tropical Cyclone 15” earlier in the day Saturday had been upgraded to Tropical Storm Maria by the 5 p.m. update. The hurricane center says the storm has already prompted tropical storm watches to go up in such areas as St. Lucia, Martinique, Antigua, Barbuda and Dominica. The system was located about 620 miles east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles Saturday evening. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 50 mph while moving west at 20 mph.

"Additional strengthening is expected during the next 48 hours, and Maria is forecast to be a hurricane when it approaches the Leeward Islands early next week," forecasters wrote at 5 p.m.

Although it is too early to tell what impacts, if any, the three storms may have on the United States, they serve as reminders that hurricane season is far from over. In fact, the peak of the season is ongoing.

Forecasters call the period between mid-August and mid-October the “season within the season.” This eight-week period “is often the most active and dangerous time for tropical cyclone activity,” according to NOAA. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 each year. Average seasons produce about 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes. Three of the hurricanes are generally deemed major.

Graphics courtesy of the National Hurricane Center