Tropical depression forms in the Atlantic far from land; strengthening expected

Tropical depressions form in the Atlantic, Pacific

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 is expected to strengthen and could become a tropical storm Sunday.

The depression was located about 600 miles (970 kilometers) west-southwest of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands. It has maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph) and is moving west-northwest at 8 mph (13 kph).

In the Pacific, the ninth tropical depression of the season formed 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.