Tropical depression forms in the Atlantic, far from site of massive Gulf oil spill

Tropical depression forms in the Atlantic

MIAMI — A new tropical depression has formed in the Atlantic, but the system is far from land.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Saturday that the tropical depression could become a hurricane by Monday.

The depression was located about 580 miles (935 kilometers) west-southwest of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands. It has maximum sustained winds of 30 mph (45 kph) and is moving west-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph). The depression could become a tropical storm as early as Saturday night.

In the Pacific, a tropical depression also formed Saturday and is forecast to move parallel to the coast of southern Mexico. The government of Mexico has issued a tropical storm watch from Salina Cruz westward to Lagunas de Chacahua.