Tropical Storm Julia forms over Atlantic Ocean

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Julia, which posed no immediate threat to land, was heading in a westerly direction as it swirled off the Cape Verde islands.

The tropical cyclone was packing top sustained winds of 40 miles per hour, the Miami-based hurricane center said.

It said the storm was expected to become a low-level Category 1 hurricane by Tuesday while it was still far out in the open Atlantic.