Tropical Storm Debby forms in Atlantic

MIAMI --Tropical Storm Debby formed off the coast of Cape Verde in the eastern Atlantic Tuesday, forecasters said. The depression that formed Monday was centered 300 miles west of the southernmost Cape Verde and was moving toward the west-northwest at speeds of near 18 mph.

This general direction was expected to continue for the next 24 hours, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm had maximum sustained winds near 40 mph, with some strengthening forecast for the next 24 hours.

Cape Verde is 350 miles off the African coast.

Long-range forecasts show the storm nearing Bermuda in about a week. But it was still too early to tell if it would hit land, senior hurricane specialist James Franklin said.

It is the fourth named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season.