Tropical Storm Rene has formed in the Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Rene is expected to bring tropical-storm-force winds and heavy rainfall to the Cabo Verde Islands Monday night and early Tuesday.
As of 11 p.m., Rene has maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is forecast, and Rene could become a hurricane in two or three days.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: Hurricane Guide | Hurricane Center
The storm is moving toward the west near 14 mph, and a motion toward the west to the west-northwest is expected over the next few days.
On the forecast track, the center of Rene will pass over the central Cabo Verde Islands Tuesday morning and over the western Cabo Verde Islands in the afternoon.
Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin over the eastern portions of the Cabo Verde Islands later this evening and spread westward across the remainder of those islands through early Tuesday.
Rene is the earliest “R-named” storm in a record-setting hurricane season.
