FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Tropical Storm Paulette and Rene, the season's 16th and 17th named storms, formed in the Atlantic on Monday.
Tropical Storm Paulette was located about 1,375 miles east of the eastern boundary of the Caribbean and had maximum sustained winds measuring 40 mph, according to the 11 a.m. advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center.
Paulette was churning at a slow 3 mph and was expected to continue moving to the west-northwest in the tropical Central Atlantic over the next few days.
Rene formed at about 4:45 p.m. Monday from Tropical Depression 18 off Africa's west coast.
As of the latest advisory, Rene was located about 165 miles east of the Cabo Verde Islands with winds at 40 mph. It was moving west-northwest at 12 mph.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for the Cabo Verde Islands on Monday. Tropical storm conditions are expected within the warning area in the next 12 to 24 hours, the hurricane center said.
It was too early to determine if Paulette or Rene would pose a threat to Florida or the United States.
Meanwhile, the hurricane center was also monitoring an area of low pressure that emerged early Sunday near Bermuda. It has been given a 30% chance of development in the next five days, according to the hurricane center.
A tropical wave located over the central Caribbean Sea south of Jamaica fell apart late Sunday.
This is the time of year when storms tend to form in the open Atlantic, particularly near the Cabo Verde Islands. Those storms, which grow in size and intensity as they make the long trek westward across the Atlantic Ocean, are historically the most powerful and destructive hurricanes.
So far, there have been 17 tropical storms and four hurricanes this season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
Laura was the season's first major hurricane, making landfall in Cameron, La., as a Category 4 on Aug. 27. Hanna, Isaias and Marco were Category 1 hurricanes that made landfall in Padre Island, Texas; Ocean Isle Beach, N.C.; and at the mouth of the Mississippi River, respectively.
The remaining monikers for named storms this season in the Atlantic are: Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred.
In August, the federal government issued an updated forecast for the season, predicting as many as 25 storms, which is more than the agency has ever forecast. The tropical weather experts at Colorado State University predicted that 2020 could possibly be the second-busiest season on record, behind only 2005, the year that produced Katrina and Wilma.
