Tropical storm forms in open Atlantic

MIAMI - Tropical Storm Melissa formed in the far eastern Atlantic early Saturday, becoming the 13th named storm of the hurricane season, but posed no immediate threat to land, forecasters said.

At 5 a.m. EDT, Melissa had maximum sustained winds near 40 mph, and slight strengthening was forecast during the next 24 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The center of the storm was located about 260 miles west-soutwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Melissa was moving west near 3 mph and was expected to gradually turn west-northwest.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Karen continued weakening in the open Atlantic. Karen's center was about 590 miles east of the Leeward Islands and the storm was moving west-northwest near 12 mph. Its maximum sustained winds had decreased to 40 mph.

The remnants of Hurricane Lorenzo were bringing rain to central Mexico. Lorenzo hit Mexico's Gulf coast early Friday as a hurricane but quickly weakened to a tropical depression as it charged inland. Forecasters said 4 to 7 inches of rain was possible Saturday and warned of possible flash floods and mudslides.

Forecasters expect this year's Atlantic hurricane season to be busier than average. Last month, they said as many as 16 tropical storms were likely to form, with nine strengthening into hurricanes. The season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.