MIAMI — The tropics are starting to heat up as the peak of hurricane season approaches.
On Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Tropical Storm Cristobal formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, west-southwest of the Azores, with 45 mph winds and higher gusts.
TRACKING THE TROPICS: Hurricane Center | Hurricane Guide
According to the 11 a.m. advisory from the NHC, Tropical Storm Cristobal is moving quickly toward the east, away from the United States, at about 25 mph. The storm was about 880 miles west of the Azores.
A turn toward the east-northeast and a slower forward motion is expected later Wednesday.
Slow weakening is forecast, and Cristobal is forecast to dissipate on Thursday.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles from the center.
2 Other Systems Being Monitored
The NHC is also monitoring a tropical wave in the central Atlantic located about 900 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. This wave has an 80 percent chance of development in the next two days, with a tropical depression expected to form. This system is moving west-northwest across the central tropical Atlantic.
A second system is just off the coast of west Africa, producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. This system has a 30 percent chance of tropical development over the next seven days as it moves west-northwest across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic.
