Subtropical Storm Melissa forms in Atlantic

TORONTO – Though hurricane season is officially over in the Atlantic, nobody told Melissa.

Subtropical Storm Melissa formed early Monday morning in the Atlantic, east of Bermuda.

Read more: Was Super Typhoon Haiyan a sign of things to come?

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The storm is moving northwestward at about 15 km/h with maximum sustained winds of 85 km/h. The National Hurricane Center out of Miami, Fla. is forecasting some strengthening within the next two days, though it will not become a hurricane.

Subtropical storms form differently than their tropical cousins.

Whereas tropical storms form over warm waters and have warm cores, subtropical storms form over lukewarm water and have colder cores. Subtropical storms can be larger than tropical storms and, though weaker, are still very powerful.

The effects of Melissa are being felt in Bermuda, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico as large ocean swells are being generated by the storm. There is the danger that the swells may cause rip currents and life-threatening surf.