Forecast track for Tropical Storm Katia as of 5 a.m. Tuesday. (National Hurricane Center)

MIAMI – Tropical Storm Katia has formed and is moving quickly across the Atlantic.

The storm has maximum sustained winds early Tuesday near 40 mph. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says strengthening is forecast and Katia is expected to be near hurricane strength by late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Katia, formerly Tropical Depression 12, is centered about 535 miles west-southwest of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands and is moving west-northwest near 17 mph.

The storm’s name replaces Katrina in the rotating storm roster because of the catastrophic damage from the 2005 storm that devastated New Orleans.