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A tropical storm churning in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa could become the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2025 season.

, currently located around 950 miles west of Cape Verde, will start to strengthen beginning late Wednesday and likely become a hurricane by late Thursday.

At least eight people were killed on the Cape Verdean island of São Vicente following severe storms, 

 on Tuesday. Cape Verdean President Jose Maria Pereira Neves 

 Monday that heavy rains had caused fatalities and property damage on the island.

The National Hurricane Center said the storm will cross warm ocean water and grow in strength as it glides quickly westward toward the Caribbean, eventually slowing down and making a gradual west-northwest turn.

Tropical Storm Erin currently has maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour, with tropical storm-force winds extending out from its center as far as 35 miles.

The National Hurricane Center warned that the likelihood had increased for the storm to move closer to Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the northern Leeward Islands, but forecasters say it's still too early to know what the effects might be. Erin's center is expected to track near or just north of the northern Leeward Islands this weekend. The storm may also impact parts of the U.S. East Coast, Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles next week, the National Hurricane Center added.

This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 

predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season

, with somewhere from 13 to 19 named storms between June 1 and Nov. 30.

NOAA said a number of factors were making it easier for tropical storms to form this year, such as warmer ocean temperatures and weak wind shear.

Climate change is driving up sea surface temperatures and 

, causing more severe flooding, stronger winds and heavier rainfall.

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Joe Hernandez

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The National Hurricane Center expects the storm to strengthen over the next several days and says it could become a hurricane by late Thursday.

Tropical Storm Erin could become the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2025 season

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