Tropical Storm Karen continues on crazy path, Lorenzo to become Cat 3 hurricane

ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - Hurricane Lorenzo continues to gain strength as it moves through the Atlantic.

The system strengthened into a Category 1 storm packing maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. As of 11:00 a.m., the National Hurricane Center (NHC) says Lorenzo is located 715 miles west of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands moving at 17 mph. That's more than 3,000 miles from South Florida.

Lorenzo is the fifth named storm of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. Forecasters say it is expected to become a major Category 3 hurricane by Thursday.

"The good news is Lorenzo will stay over the open waters of the Atlantic. No threat to land," says Fox 35 meteorologist Kristin Giannas.

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Tropical Storm Karen is about 240 miles north-northeast of San Juan. The center is moving northward over the southwestern Atlantic.

The storm is moving away from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, but is continuing to bring heavy rain and flash flooding. Karen is moving north at 14 mph and is expected to stay a tropical storm, well east of the Bahamas and Florida.

Forecasters expect Karen to develop maximum sustained winds up to 65 mph over the next six days while it turns toward the northeast Atlantic, but could loop back around and start moving west toward the United States, the NHC said.

Tropical storm warnings for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were discontinued Wednesday morning.

TRACK THE TROPICS: For the latest on the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, visit ORLANDOHURRICANE.com. 

To stay updated throughout hurricane season, download the Fox 35 Weather app to get the latest straight to your cellphone.