Tropical Storm Danny forms in Atlantic, could become hurricane Thursday

August 19, 2015 in Regional
Tropical Storm #Danny has formed in the Atlantic. Expected to become a hurricane by Thursday

Tropical Storm #Danny has formed in the Atlantic. Expected to become a hurricane by Thursday

Tropical Storm Danny has formed far out in the Atlantic Ocean, the National Hurricane Center said Tuesday.

As of 5 p.m. ET, the storm has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and is moving to the west at 12 mph. It’s the fourth named tropical system of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane system, following Ana, Bill and Claudette.

Once a storm reaches 74 mph, it becomes a hurricane.

“Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Danny is expected to become a hurricane by Thursday,” the hurricane center said.

The center of the storm is now some 1,595 miles east of the Caribbean’s Windward Islands. It’s still several days away from the Windward Islands.

The exact track of the system beyond several days is questionable at this point, AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

“A track across the Windward or southern Leeward islands late Monday, then into the Caribbean later next week is most likely, provided the system remains relatively weak,” he said. However, he said a curve to the northwest and dissipation are also possibilities.