MIAMI — Tropical Storm Danielle gathered strength in the Atlantic and was forecast to become the first hurricane of an unusually quiet storm season Friday morning.
Currently, the storm is not a threat to any land.
The storm’s maximum sustained winds were near 70 mph (110 km/h). Additional strengthening is expected, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The storm is centered about 890 miles (1,435 kilometers) west of the Azores and is moving east at about 3 mph (6 km/h). The hurricane center said the storm is expected to meander into the Atlantic over the next few days.
The tropical storm comes amid what had been a quiet hurricane season. It’s the first time since 1941 that the Atlantic has gone from July 3 to late August without a named storm, Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach previously told The Associated Press.
In the North Pacific, Tropical Storm Javier formed overnight. By Thursday night, it was 380 kilometers south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 km/h), forecasters said.
Javier is moving northwest at 10 mph (17 km/h). It is expected to increase speed and turn westward in the coming days.