Tropical depression forms offshore from South Florida

MIAMI – A tropical depression has formed in warm waters offshore of South Florida.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami says the tropical depression emerged Monday afternoon about 120 miles (195 kilometres) southeast of West Palm Beach and has top sustained winds of 30 mph (45 kph). It’s moving to the northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).

Forecasters are urging people in the northwest Bahamas and on Florida’s Atlantic coast to keep an eye on the storm’s progress.

They say the centre of the depression should remain just offshore of the east coast of Florida over the next day or so. The storm system is expected to drop from 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5 centimetres) of rain across the Bahamas and parts of Florida’s Atlantic coast through Tuesday.