Tropical storm Helene forms near Cape Verde: U.S. NHC

[September 08, 2018]  (Reuters) - Tropical storm Helene has formed in the Atlantic early Saturday and is expected to become a hurricane early next week as it churns toward the United States, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

Helene was located about 375 miles east-southeast of the southernmost Cape Verde islands, with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour and higher wind gusts, the NHC said on early Saturday.

"The disturbance is expected to move near the southern Cape Verde Islands late Saturday night or on Sunday," the Miami-based weather forecaster said, adding heavy rainfall is expected in portions of the Cape Verde islands.

(Reporting by Karen Rodrigues in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Catherine Evans)

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