Tropical Storm Don forms in Caribbean but not likely to threaten Florida

Tropical Storm Don formed east of the Windward Islands late Monday, but is expected to weaken again as it continues churning westward, National Hurricane Center forecasters said.

The compact storm, located about 485 miles southeast of Barbados and moving west at 17 mph, mustered a center Monday afternoon. Sustained winds reached 40 mph. The storm may pick up speed as the eye passes over the Windward Islands Tuesday, forecasters said.

However, Don is expected to fizzle in about three days when it encounters strong upper level winds in the eastern Caribbean, forecasters said. Tropical storm force winds extend just 25 miles from Don’s center.

As it nears the Lesser Antilles Tuesday, the system is likely to dump heavy rain, forecasters said. A tropical storm warning was issued for Grenada while a watch was issued for Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and St. Lucia.

A second system is also brewing in the Central Atlantic but has slighter odds of forming. Forecasters say there's about a 30 percent chance that storm, located about 850 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands off Africa’s west coast, will become a tropical cyclone as it moves slowly across ocean waters over the next five days.

This story was originally published July 17, 2017 at 12:53 PM with the headline "Tropical Storm Don forms in Caribbean but not likely to threaten Florida."