Tropical storm Florence joins Ernesto

Tropical Storm Florence has formed in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean, joining Ernesto on the tropical weather stage.

The National Hurricane Center reported early Saturday that Florence was 315 miles west-southwest of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands and had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph, with higher gusts. It was moving west-northwest at 16 mph.

It is expected to continue on its current path, with some strengthening expected over the next couple days. There are no coastal warnings or watches in effect.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Ernesto's winds had increased to 60 mph as the storm continued to move west. It's expected to pass near Jamaica tomorrow and could become a hurricane at about the same time.

Forecasters are confident that the system will track west for a few more days, but the track after that becomes less certain. Some models keep the storm heading into the Yucatan Peninsula; others veer it north into the Gulf of Mexico.

LINK: Track Ernesto and Florence on www.MyFoxHurricane.com.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.