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Tropical Storm Gonzalo forms in Atlantic, breaking record as earliest 'G' storm

Storm expected to become hurricane by Thursday
Tropical Storm Gonzalo forms in Atlantic, breaking record as earliest 'G' storm
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MIAMI (AP) — The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami says Tropical Storm Gonzalo has formed the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

This sets a record for the earliest named seventh tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.

The NHC says Gonzalo is continuing to strengthen and predicts that it will become a hurricane by Thursday.

Forecasters say Gonzalo was about 1,250 miles east of the Southern Windward Islands, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, moving west-northwest at 12 mph.

Gonzalo remained far offshore Wednesday, on a path that could eventually take the storm into the lower Caribbean Sea by this weekend.

The storm's early strengthening breaks a record set by Tropical Storm Gert, which formed on July 24, 2005.