Irene's Gone, Katia On the Horizon

CHARLESTON - While millions of people are still without power and the cleanup effort following Hurricane Irene is still underway, another tropical system has formed in the Atlantic and is churning westward.

The National Weather Service in Charleston and the National Hurricance Center, both part of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, say Tropical Storm Katia is unlikely to impact the U.S. at this point, but stress that could change.

"Our models just don't go out that far," a forecaster at NWS said.

The NWS and NHC expect Katia to strengthen to a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) by Wednesday or Thursday of next week. However, the NWS forecaster said nearly all of the storm track models so far have Katia eventually turning north and passing east of Bermuda.

"It looks like there is a trough coming in and when that sets up, it makes it difficult for the storms to make landfall," the forecaster said.

Keep an eye on Katia's movements via the NHC or The Weather Channel.