FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ The season's ninth tropical storm, Ian, has formed in the Central Atlantic Ocean, the National Hurricane Center says.
It poses no threat to land.
According to an 11 a.m. EDT bulletin from the Miami-based hurricane center, Ian was about 1,140 miles southeast of Bermuda and packing maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, just above the threshold for a tropical storm. Ian wasn't expected to strengthen into a hurricane.
"We're not forecasting a hurricane at this time," said forecaster Dave Roberts.
The storm was moving toward the northwest and was expected to turn toward the north-northwest over the next day, according to the bulletin. Tropical storm-force winds were extending up to 140 miles from Ian's center.
As well, another disturbance near the Bahamas was given a 10 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone over the next five days.
Despite its low chance of formation, the disturbance still had the potential to dump heavy rainfall on parts of the Bahamas on Monday and parts of Florida on Tuesday, forecasters said. Roberts said precipitation from the disturbance was more likely in the northern parts of South Florida.
