Tropical Storm Gert forms in Atlantic Ocean

A tropical depression in the Atlantic Ocean has formed into Tropical Storm Gert but it's not expected to make landfall.

The National Hurricane Center said on Sunday afternoon that Gert was centered about 505 miles west-southwest of Bermuda and had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. It is moving toward the north-northwest at 10 mph.

Gert will take a more northward turn early this week as it rides around the western periphery of a high-pressure area off to its east.

Thus, the most likely path early this week will be between Cape Hatteras and Bermuda. If the system goes farther west than expected, some outer rain bands may graze the North Carolina Outer Banks early this week.

The main impact for both Bermuda and the southeastern United States at this point will be higher waves, rough surf and an increased threat for rip currents into the middle of the week that can impact boaters and beachgoers.

By the middle to latter part of this week, this storm will get swept northeastward into the open waters of the North Atlantic by a trough and associated cold front moving through and offshore of the east coast of the United States.

The rest of the basin remains quiet at this time with only a few weak tropical waves moving over the open waters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.