The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) has said that Sub-Tropical Storm Ana has now transitioned into a tropical storm, the first of the 2021 hurricane season, a bit early. The season officially begins June 1.

The reclassification of Ana comes as satellite images indicate it has contracted significantly since yesterday and now has a compact area of moderate convection around the centre.

At 5 am Atlantic Standard Time (AST) on Sunday, the centre of now Tropical Storm Ana was located over the Atlantic Ocean about 340 miles (545 km) northeast of Bermuda.

(The path of Tropical Storm Ana. Photo: NOAA)

NHC has forecast that Ana is moving toward the northeast near 12 mph (19 km/h) and this heading with an increase in forward speed is expected to occur during the next day.

Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph (75 km/h) with higher gusts.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the centre.

Slight weakening is expected to take place during the next 24 hours and Ana is expected to dissipate by Monday.