A subtropical storm named Otto formed Wednesday in the Atlantic and could strengthen into a hurricane by Thursday or Friday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
A subtropical storm is one that forms with colder temperatures aloft and on the sea surface than normally found in the tropics.
But Otto, which doesn't have an organized center, "could transition into a tropical storm by Thursday and then become a hurricane by Thursday night or Friday morning," the Miami-based hurricane center said.
The storm was 215 miles (345 kilometers) northeast of the Turks and Caicos islands at 2100 GMT and was heading north with maximum winds of 60 miles per hour.
It was expected to remain well east of the Bahamas as it heads toward the north Atlantic.
"Additional heavy rainfall is possible in the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico during the next day or so," the center said.
A subtropical storm is one that forms with colder temperatures aloft and on the sea surface than normally found in the tropics.
But Otto, which doesn't have an organized center, "could transition into a tropical storm by Thursday and then become a hurricane by Thursday night or Friday morning," the Miami-based hurricane center said.
The storm was 215 miles (345 kilometers) northeast of the Turks and Caicos islands at 2100 GMT and was heading north with maximum winds of 60 miles per hour.
It was expected to remain well east of the Bahamas as it heads toward the north Atlantic.
"Additional heavy rainfall is possible in the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico during the next day or so," the center said.