NEW YORK—Tropical Storm Dean formed in the Atlantic Ocean, midway between western Africa and the Caribbean Sea, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the energy market continued to watch the Gulf of Mexico where a tropical depression may form later today that could threaten U.S. oil and natural gas facilities.
The NHC said in an advisory issued shortly before 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) that the center of Dean was located about 1,030 miles west of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands and about 1,490 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.
Dean was moving westward at about 23 miles per hour, with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph.
The NHC said Dean could strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 74-95 mph in two to three days and a Category 2 (winds of 96-110 mph) or Category 3 (winds of 111-130 mph) storm in four or five days.
The NHC plans to issue another advisory on Dean at 5 p.m.
Most of the weather models show Dean will reach the Leeward Islands over the next several days, with most models putting the storm in the area of the Virgin Islands.
The Leeward Islands include the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Saint Martin, Saba, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Barbuda, Antigua, Montserrat, Guadeloupe and Dominica.
The energy market watches for tropical storms because they can disrupt U.S. oil and natural gas production and refining if they enter the Gulf of Mexico.
Commodities traders also track tropical storms because they can damage crops in Florida and along the Gulf Coast.
Gulf of Mexico Depression Possible
The NHC said a tropical depression could be forming in the south central Gulf of Mexico.
In an outlook issued at 11:30 a.m., the NHC said the system was moving west-northwest or northwest at 10 to 15 mph.
The NHC said an Air Force reconnaissance plane is scheduled to investigate the system this afternoon.
The weather models showed the system would likely strike land near the Texas and Mexico border over the next few days.
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