MIAMI — A tropical depression formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, which is the official first day of the Atlantic hurricane season.
National Hurricane Center forecasters said in a 5 p.m. advisory that the storm had sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph) and was located about 305 miles (490 kilometers) west-northwest of Fort Myers, Florida.
The National Hurricane Center predicted the depression could strengthen into a tropical storm Thursday night or Friday. But the system should begin to weaken by Friday night and degenerate into a remnant low by Saturday. Tropical storms have winds of at least 39 mph; anything 74 mph or higher is designated a hurricane.
The hurricane season runs through Nov. 30. Last year's season had 14 named storms, with extensive damage caused by Hurricanes Ian, Nicole and Fiona.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
