Tropical Storm Gonzalo expected to become a hurricane by Thursday

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The United States-based National Hurricane Center is reporting that recently formed Tropical Storm Gonzalo was strengthening in the Atlantic and is expected to become a hurricane by Thursday.

Gonzalo was centred about 1,205 miles east of the southern Windward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour.

It was heading west at 14 miles per hour.

The hurricane centre said that interests in the Windward Islands should monitor the storm.

Gonzalo’s strengthening breaks a record set by Tropical Storm Gert, which formed on July 24, 2005.

So far this year, Cristobal, Danielle, Edouard and Fay also set records for being the earliest named Atlantic storms of their respective place in the alphabet.

Meanwhile, the first hurricane of the eastern Pacific season formed far from land on Wednesday.

The centre said that Hurricane Douglas was centred about1,785 miles  east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, Wednesday morning with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour.

It was moving to the west at 15 miles per hour.

That track would carry it toward Hawaii on Sunday or Monday, but forecasters said it was likely to weaken back to a tropical depression by that point.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.