WORLD NEWS/ NEW CARIBBEAN STORM DEVELOPS

SubTropical Depression 17, which formed this morning about 200 miles north of Puerto Rico, is gradually getting better organized. The storm is not a threat to bring high winds to any land areas, but will produce heavy rains over Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the northern Lesser Antilles, and perhaps the eastern Dominican Republic. STD 17 is currently located 225 miles E/NE of Grand Turk Island and is moving NW at 9mph. Winds are at 35mph, with gusts to 45mph. STD17 has a broad, somewhat ill-defined center of circulation, with the heaviest thunderstorms 50 or so miles from the center. This is characteristic of a subtropical storm, which is a hybrid between a Tropical Storm and an Extra Tropical Storm. Conditions will improve and STD 17 should become fully tropical and intensify into Tropical Storm Otto within the next 24 hours. Steering currents favor Otto being lifted northwards and then northeastwards out to sea by Friday.