ORLANDO, Fla. — A new tropical depression formed Wednesday that is forecast to become Tropical Storm Gabrielle and strengthen further into a hurricane in the Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.

As of the NHC’s 5 a.m. advisory, the center of what is now Tropical Depression Seven was located in the central Atlantic about 1,185 miles east-southeast of the Caribbean’s northern Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph moving west at 13 mph.

“A west-northwestward to northwestward motion across the tropical and subtropical central Atlantic is expected during the next few days,” said NHC senior hurricane specialist John Cangialosi. “Slow strengthening is expected, and the system could become a tropical storm later today or tonight.”

Its forecast path keeps it awa

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