ORLANDO, Fla. _ Tropical Storm Jerry formed early Wednesday and is expected to continue to gain strength becoming a hurricane by Thursday night or Friday morning as the storm moves west, according to the National Hurricane Center's 5 a.m. update.
Jerry has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and is moving at 13 mph, the NHC said. The system will be considered a category 1 hurricane when the winds begin blowing at 74 mph.
Jerry's tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 45 miles from the center.
The tropical storm is heading west-northwest toward the Leeward Islands and is expected to arrive Thursday night as a hurricane.
Computer forecasts project that the storm could spare the Caribbean with the development of Category 3 Hurricane Humberto which is heading north and is expected to pull Jerry toward its direction. But Jerry's outer bands could still bring rain and wind to areas such as Puerto Rico.
The storm's "general motion is expected to continue during the next 3 to 4 days. Afterward, a northwest to north-northwestward turn ... is expected," the hurricane center said in its discussion about the storm.
In the Gulf of Mexico, Tropical Storm Imelda formed Tuesday before quickly downgrading into a depression with maximum sustained winds of 30 mph. Imelda is moving at 7 mph into the eastern parts of Texas.
The system is projected to bring 6 to 12 inches of rainfall with isolated maximum amounts of 18 inches to Houston and Galveston areas.
