Tropical Storm Lee forms in Atlantic Ocean as Jose swirls off East Coast

Tropical Storm Lee has formed far from land, moving west of the Cabo Verde Islands at 12 mph with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, the National Hurricane Center said Saturday.

The storm, with winds extending 70 miles outward, is moving toward the west at 12 mph, the center said.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Jose threatens to impact the Northeast part of the U.S. in the next few days, and Hurricane Norma is forecast to pass near the resort-studded southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula late Sunday and early Monday.

West of Lee, another disturbance prompted tropical storm watches for a portion of the Lesser Antilles. The system is about 755 miles east of the islands, and the governments of St. Lucia, Martinique and Guadeloupe have issued watches.

Swells from Jose are affecting Bermuda, the Bahamas, the northern coasts of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico and the southeast coast of the U.S., the center said. The swells are likely to cause dangerous surf and rip current conditions.

Meteorologists say Jose could produce direct impacts next week from North Carolina northward to New England.