Severe storm watches issued for Jamaica and Caymans, Patty becomes a tropical storm near Azores

MIAMI (AP) — A hurricane watch for the Cayman Islands and a tropical storm warning for Jamaica have been issued as a weather system in the Caribbean is expected to strengthen. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says in an early Monday advisory that the northwestern Caribbean storm system is expected to become a hurricane and could bring heavy rainfall to Cuba and Florida and possibly the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico later this week. On the opposite side of the Atlantic, Patty transitioned from subtropical to a tropical storm early Monday. The center says Patty is forecast to become post-tropical in the coming days.