Nadine approaches Azores, Oscar forms

The Azores were under a storm warning for Tropical Storm Nadine Wednesday, while Tropical Storm Oscar formed in the eastern Atlantic, forecasters said. Nadine was expected to bring tropical storm or gale conditions to the Azores Wednesday night or early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its 11 p.m. EDT advisory. Nadine, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, was about 245 miles west-southwest of the Azores and moving northeast at 18 mph. On its forecast track, Nadine's center was expected to move through or near the Azores Wednesday night, then shift toward the north-northeast Thursday, forecasters said. Forecasters said some weakening is expected and Nadine could lose its tropical cyclone characteristics as early as Wednesday night. Nadine, which first formed Sept. 11 and has been moving between hurricane and tropical storm status ever since, was expected to produce 1-2 inches of rain over parts of the Azores through Thursday. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Oscar became the 15th named storm of the season Friday as it formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Oscar was about 1,220 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour. Tropical storm-force winds extended up to 150 miles east of the center. The storm was moving north-northwest at 12 miles per hour with no coastal watches or warnings in effect. Oscar was expected to turn toward the north and decrease forward speed by Thursday morning, then accelerate northeastward Thursday night. By Friday Oscar is expected to become an open trough, dissipating by Friday night.