Tropical Storm Alberto in the Gulf of Mexico becomes first named storm the 2024 Hurricane season

Tropical Storm Alberto formed on Wednesday in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, the first named storm of what is forecast to be a busy hurricane season.

Alberto was located 185 miles (about 300 kilometers) east of Tampico, Mexico and 295 miles (about 480 kilometers) south-southeast of Brownsville, Texas. It had top sustained winds of 40 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Alberto is expected to dump a lot of rain along coastal areas from southern Texas to central Mexico through Thursday.

Another tropical system is developing in the western Atlantic Ocean, near the Bahamas. This system has a low chance to develop into a named storm. However, forecasters continue to monitor it as it moves west northwest toward the southeastern United States.

The area of showers and storms is currently located several hundred miles east of the Bahamas. It's expected to arrive on the US coast by the end of the week.

According to ABC11 meteorologist Steve Stewart, it will likely not impact North Carolina, but we could see some tropical moisture get funneled into the Carolinas late in the week.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts the hurricane season that began June 1 and runs through Nov. 30 is likely to be well above average, with between 17 and 25 named storms. The forecast calls for as many as 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes.

An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of them hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

A no-name storm earlier in June dumped more than 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain on parts of South Florida, stranding numerous motorists on flooded streets and pushing water into some homes in low-lying areas.

Difference between hurricanes, tropical storms and tropical depressions

Once a depression sustains wind over 39 mph, it is called a tropical storm .

If a storm develops strong rotation, and the wind speeds exceed 74 mph, we have a hurricane. Hurricanes are classified from categories 1 to 5.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.