Tropical storms race towards Caribbean

Tropical Storm Ana was racing toward the Caribbean yesterday, prompting storm watches from Puerto Rico to the Leeward Islands, as a second slower-moving Tropical Storm Bill followed in the mid-Atlantic, forecasters said.

They were the season's first two named storm systems in the Atlantic, and forecasters said that at least one of them, Bill, was expected to become a hurricane.

At 8 am (1200 GMT) the US National Hurricane Centre said Ana was 755 kilometres east southeast of the Leeward Islands, traveling west at speed of 32 kilometres per hour and with sustained winds of 65 kilometres per hour.

"A turn toward the west-northwest is expected within the next 24 hours. The centre of ANA should reach the Leeward Islands by early Monday," the centre said in an advisory.

A tropical storm watch was in effect in Puerto Rico, the US and British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Antigua, Barbuda, St Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, St Maarten, Saba and St Eustatius, it said.

Meanwhile, much further east, Tropical Storm Bill formed just as Ana was gathering steam.

At 0900 GMT, Bill's centre was about 2,645 kilometres east of the lesser Antilles, moving west at 20 kilometres per hour but with winds near 75 kilometres per hour and higher gusts.

"Some strengthening is forecast and Bill is expected to become a hurricane during the next few days," the hurricane centre said.