ORLANDO, Fla. _ Forecasters have their eye on a new tropical depression that formed near Bermuda on Saturday.
Tropical Depression 5 was located 245 miles west-southwest of Bermuda, with forecasters saying it could pass over the island by Sunday morning.
The system has been causing persistent showers and thunderstorms in the region. It poses no danger to Florida, as it is moving east-northeastward. As of Saturday morning, the depression's speed was 17 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported, with sustained winds of 35 mph.
Forecasters expect the system to accelerate Saturday night through Sunday.
"Little overall change in strength is likely," forecasters said in the latest public advisory. "However, the system could become a tropical storm later today,"
If named, this depression would be the earliest fifth Atlantic storm on record. Emily, the current earliest fifth-named storm in the Atlantic, formed on July 12, 2005.
Emily was the strongest July hurricane on record, with maximum winds of 160 mph, according to Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach.
In May, the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur dumped heavy rain on Bermuda, which also had a brush with Hurricane Humberto last September. The hurricane came within 75 miles of the island before heading to open water.
