As South Florida continues the slow recovery from Irma, hurricane season roars on as Tropical Storm Lee forms and tropical storm watches are issued.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Saturday that Lee had sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and was about 655 miles (1055 kilometers) west of the Cabo Verde Islands. Little change in strength is forecast over the next couple of days.
Lee is not expected to impact Florida.
However, Invest 96-L has now become Tropical Depression 15. The disturbance prompted tropical storm watches for the Lesser Antilles including St. Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Dominica.
The system was about 755 miles (1,215 kilometers) east of the area, and the governments of St. Lucia, Martinique and Guadeloupe issued watches.
If winds hit 39 mph, Tropical Depression 15 becomes Tropical Storm Maria.
The hurricane center said the system could turn into a tropical storm and then hurricane this week along a forecast track through the eastern and northern Caribbean roughly similar to that of Irma.
