Tropical storm Maria forms in Atlantic

Tropical storm Maria formed in the Atlantic on Wednesday, becoming the 13th named storm in the 2011 hurricane season.

At 11 a.m. eastern on Wednesday, the storm was around 1,305 miles east of the Lesser Antilles, CNN reports. The National Hurricane Center said the storm had maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour, and is moving west at a little more than half that speed.

According to Reuters, Maria could threaten Puerto Rico and the Leeward Islands over the weekend, but poses no immediate danger to land.

Meanwhile, hurricane Katia has weakened over the last two days but remains a Category 1 storm with 85 mile-per-hour winds.

Katia was centered about 320 miles southwest of the mid-Atlantic island of Bermuda and was expected to pass between the eastern U.S. coast and Bermuda by Thursday.

Forecasters expect Katia to remain out at sea, but it has already kicked up surf and caused dangerous rip currents along the eastern United States, Bermuda, the Greater Antilles and parts of the Bahamas.

Katia is expected to turn east once it passes the Bahamas.

Reuters reports that forecasters are also watching a disturbance in the southwest Gulf of Mexico that has a 60 percent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone over the next few days.