A tropical depression has formed off the coast of East Florida, the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said on Saturday, adding later that it has strengthened into the first named storm and is expected to start the 2020 North Atlantic hurricane season.
The NHC also advised interests in North Carolina to navigate the weather closely, as a tropical storm watch is likely to be issued for a portion of its area as well.
In the United States, the hurricane season usually kicks off in early June, so this one would be a preseason storm, which, however, has become a common occurrence lately, the NHC says.