Tropical Storm Jose and a tropical depression form,

Tropical Storm Jose is strengthening as it makes its way over the Atlantic Ocean, following just behind Hurricane Irma.

Jose and a tropical depression formed Tuesday as Florida continued to prepare for Irma, a Category 5 storm.

“We should definitely focus on Irma for now, but right now, [Jose’s] track will have it following right behind Irma, which might be good news because Irma will have eaten up all the energy in those waters,” said Matt Bragaw, a forecaster at the National Weather Service in Melbourne.

As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, Jose was about 1,330 miles east of the Lesser Antilles, a group of islands in the Caribbean, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Forecasters say the storm has sustained winds of 50 mph and is moving westnorthwest.

Jose is expected to strengthen in the next two days and could become a hurricane by Thursday, meteorologists said.

On its current path, the storm appears to steer north, avoiding Florida, but it might impact parts of the Caribbean.

“Anything can happen,” Bragaw said. “… but there’s a high probability the energy needed won’t be as plentiful [to strengthen it].”

Jose and Irma are considered “Cape Verde” storms, which frequently become large and intense.

Hurricanes Hugo, Floyd and Ivan were Cape Verdes, forming in the far eastern Atlantic — near the Cape Verde Islands — and tracking across the ocean.

Another disturbance also is brewing in the Gulf of Mexico and strengthened into a tropical depression. The storm has 35 mph winds and is moving slowly along the coast of Mexico, about 80 miles east of Tampico.