Tropical depression forms in the Atlantic

A tropical depression has formed in the Atlantic from a wave rolling toward the Caribbean, National Hurricane Center forecasters said Thursday.

The depression, located 365 east of Barbados, immediately triggered tropical storm warnings across the Windward Islands covering Martinique, the Grenadines, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Barbados. Sustained winds topped 35 mph as the system rolled west at about 17 mph, forecasters said in their 11 a.m. advisory.

The storm is expected to head across the Lesser Antilles over the next 24 hours and into the Caribbean Sea on Friday. It does not pose a threat to Florida, but forecasters warned the storm could dump between two and four inches of rain over the Windward Islands, triggering dangerous floods and mudslides.

It’s expected to steadily strengthen over the next week, but then weaken once it encounters higher wind shear in the central Caribbean, forecasters said. Models show the storm tracking to the northwest, and reaching the eastern Caribbean over the next day or so.

Meanwhile, a second wave more likely to threaten Florida also became better formed. Overnight, the system continued to take shape and will likely keep building steam over the next couple of days.

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