Tropical Depression 13 forms in Atlantic, could become “major hurricane” by end of week

A new tropical depression has formed in the Atlantic and is forecast to become a powerful hurricane by the end of the week, according to the National Hurricane Center. 

On Tuesday, the center of Tropical Depression Thirteen, which formed between Western Africa and the Windward Islands, is expected to continue to move toward the west-northwest at 15 mph with sustained winds of 35 mph, according to the NHC.

The tropical depression is then expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Lee late Tuesday or early Wednesday, CBS News Miami reported. It is forecast to become a potential “major hurricane,” the NHC said. 

This comes just days after Hurricane Idalia left a path of destruction across the Southeast.

The storm made landfall Wednesday in Florida, where it razed homes and downed power poles. It then headed northeast, slamming Georgia, flooding many of South Carolina’s beaches and sending seawater into the streets of downtown Charleston. In North Carolina, it poured more than 9 inches of rain on Whiteville, flooding downtown buildings.

The hurricane claimed two lives, one in Florida and the other in Georgia. 

Idalia’s impact from damage and lost economic activity is expected to be in the $12 to $20 billion range, according to Moody’s Analytics.