A subtropical storm — in essence a hybrid between a tropical and a nontropical storm — has formed near the Azores, prompting warnings for the entire Portuguese archipelago. The 16th tropical or subtropical storm to form in the Atlantic basin during the 2024 hurricane season has been named Patty.

Subtropical Storm Patty formed in the North Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, the 16th named storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season. The storm was approaching the Azores, and was forecast to weaken before reaching continental Europe next week. Patty is expected to bring tropical storm conditions to the Azores Saturday night and into Sunday.

A tropical depression is likely to form in the Caribbean Sea as soon as this weekend, while Subtropical Storm Patty formed in the Atlantic Saturday. A broad area of low pressure is forming in the southwestern Caribbean Sea is increasingly likely to become a tropical depression this weekend or early next week as it drifts northward or northwestward in the central or western Caribbean,