MIAMI -- The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Nate could become a hurricane by Friday. The storm was nearly stationary, moving at just 2 mph (3 kph). Nate is expected to move very little Wednesday and Thursday, and then it will start to move north by Friday.

Nate's maximum sustained winds were at 45 mph (72 kph) Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Maria was swirling in the western Atlantic. It was still far from land and was not expected to strengthen in the next couple of days.

Hurricane Katia also continued to blow as a Category 1 storm in the Atlantic and was not expected to hit land.