Tropical storms Jose and Katia are shadowing Hurricane Irma after forming this week, with the potential to bringing even more threatening weather ashore.
Jose in the Atantic Ocean reached tropical storm status on Tuesday after gaining strength thousands of miles southwest of the Lesser Antilles, AccuWeather said Wednesday morning.
Tropical Depression 13 started to organize Tuesday afternoon and became Tropical Storm Katia in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday morning near the eastern Mexican coast.
The storms follow on the heels of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Harvey left historic flooding damage in Texas and residents are just started to recover. Irma, which is now a threat to Florida, was carrying winds of 185 miles per hour, the highest ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the National Hurricane Center.
"Jose is moving toward the west near 13 mph," said an advisory from the National Hurricane Center. "A slightly faster west to west-northwest motion is expected during the next two days. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 60 mph with higher gusts."
Jose's projected path would take it near or just north of the Leeward Islands late this week, less than a week after major Hurricane Irma hits the same area, AccuWeather said.
"The northern Leeward Islands are at risk of contending with enhanced showers and tropical-storm-force conditions this weekend, which could hinder Irma recovery efforts," Rob Miller, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Rob Miller said.
Katia is expected to threaten Mexico as a large area of dry, sinking air over Texas and Louisiana will keep the storm south of the continental United States for now, AccuWeather said.
"The system will likely end up moving inland over the northern coast of southeastern Mexico sometime late this week or this weekend," hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski told AccuWeather.
The National Hurricane Center said Katia, with sustained winds near 40 mph, is moving toward the east, southeast at two miles per hour and should gradually turn southeastward during the next 24 hours and continue moving in this general direction through Thursday.