MIAMI: Tropical Storm Matthew formed in the Atlantic over the Lesser Antilles on Wednesday and threatened to become a hurricane by Friday, US forecasters said.
Tropical storm warnings were issued for Guadeloupe and Martinique, as well as Barbados, Dominica, St Vincent, Grenada and St Lucia.
The tropical storm was located about 55 kilometers (35 miles) southeast of St Lucia, and was moving westward with maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers (60 miles) per hour, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
"On the forecast track, the center of Matthew will move through the Windward Islands during the next couple of hours, and move over the eastern Caribbean Sea through Friday," the center said.
Through Thursday, the storm was expected to dump four to eight inches (10-20 centimeters) of rain across the Windward Islands and southern portions of the Leeward Islands, raising a threat of flash floods and mud slides.
The Atlantic hurricane season normally runs from June 1 to November 30, although this year the first hurricane occurred in January, a rarity.
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