Tropical Storm Imelda continued to gather strength Monday evening as it tracked north through the Atlantic, hours after forming alongside the powerful Hurricane Humberto. The system is now producing sustained winds of about 40 mph and is expected to intensify into a Category 1 hurricane by late Monday or Tuesday, forecasters said. Imelda is moving at about nine miles per hour and is forecast to pass over portions of the central and northwestern Bahamas before curving east-northeast later in the week, a path that would take it away from the southeastern United States.

Despite its projected turn, the storm is already affecting parts of Florida and the Carolinas, where forecasters warned of rain bands, localized heavy rainfall, gusty winds, and the potential for flash flooding in coastal and low-lying areas. Dangerous surf and rip currents are also expected to spread across much of the East Coast, with conditions worsening through midweek.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto remains a Category 4 storm farther out in the Atlantic. While it poses no immediate threat of landfall, its powerful swells are expected to batter Bermuda and much of the U.S. East Coast. The proximity of the two storms has raised the possibility of the Fujiwhara effect — a rare phenomenon where storms orbit one another — though current forecasts suggest both systems will remain largely on separate tracks, moving away from the mainland in the days ahead.

Authorities continue to monitor Imelda closely, with tropical storm warnings and watches in effect for the Bahamas and a watch in place for Bermuda. Forecasters urge residents in vulnerable coastal areas to remain alert for flooding risks and hazardous surf as both Imelda and Humberto churn in the Atlantic.