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Tropical storm Gordon forms in the open Atlantic

MIAMI – Tropical Storm Gordon formed Monday in the open Atlantic northeast of the Leeward Islands and was expected to head in the general direction of Bermuda, where Hurricane Florence brought strong winds and high waves, forecasters said.
Gordon had top sustained winds near 45 mph, above the 39 mph needed to be a named storm. It could strengthen into a hurricane, with sustained winds of 74 mph or stronger, as early as Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
At 5 p.m. EDT, the seventh named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season was centered about 425 miles northeast of the Leeward Islands and moving northwest near 9 mph, forecasters said.
Gordon developed from a tropical depression that formed late Sunday. It was much smaller in size than Florence, but was still moving in the general direction of Bermuda, forecasters said.
Florence, the season’s second hurricane, blew out windows, peeled away several roofs and knocked out power to thousands in Bermuda on Monday before churning past the wealthy British island chain and heading out over open ocean.
“It’s just too early to say about the threat to Bermuda,” said hurricane specialist Eric Blake. “Even if (Gordon) were to move in the direction of Bermuda, it would still be a few days away.”
The Atlantic hurricane season began June 1 and ends Nov. 30.