Tropical Storm Ian churns in Atlantic, Hurricane Orlene in Pacific

Tropical Storm Ian formed Monday in the Atlantic as Orlene turned into a hurricane in the Pacific and quickly gained strength, US forecasters said.

Neither storm for now poses a threat to coastal areas, the National Hurricane Center said.

Ian, which is swirling in the middle of the Atlantic as it moves northwest at 13 miles (20 kilometers) per hour, is the ninth tropical storm of the Atlantic season.

It is located some 1,080 miles (1,735 kilometers) southeast of Bermuda, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (85 kilometers per hour).

Hours earlier, Hurricane Orlene formed in the eastern Pacific, where its winds are gusting at up to 110 kilometers per hour (175 kilometers per hour), making it a Category Two storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale on which five is the largest major storm.

Now about 695 miles (1,115 kilometers) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Orlene was moving northwest at six mph (nine kilometers per hour), the Miami-based NHC said.

"Some additional strengthening is forecast through Tuesday morning," it added.