Tropical Storm Ophelia forms in the Atlantic
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Tropical Storm Ophelia formed in the Atlantic on Monday, swirling in the open sea and not yet representing a threat to land, US meteorologists said.
At 1500 GMT Ophelia was some 860 miles (1,385 kilometers) west-southwest of the Azores islands, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
The storm is moving northeast at a speed of five miles (eight kilometres) an hour, with winds of 40 miles (65 kilometres) per hour.
“Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours,” the NHC said, but it added also that there are “no coastal watches or warnings in effect.”
Ophelia is the fifteenth named storm of the 2017 Atlantic season, which is expected to last until the end of November.
Three major hurricanes — Harvey, Irma and Maria — caused catastrophic damage in the Caribbean and the US Gulf Coast.
