Tropical Storm Erin formed Monday in the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean, just west of the Cabo Verde Islands.

Erin was about 280 miles (455 kilometers) west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph), the NHC said. It was moving west at about 20 mph (32 kph).

The National Hurricane Center expects Erin to remain a tropical storm through the early portion of the week, intensifying into a hurricane by mid- to late week.

By the coming weekend -- Aug. 16 and 17 -- Erin could be a major hurricane, Category 3 or higher .

"Notice by the weekend that this is still very far away from the East Coast," WRAL meteorologist Chris Michaels said. "It takes an average of 10 to 12 days for these storms to move across the Atlantic."

It is way too soon to say w

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