TROPICAL Storm Erin forms deep in Atlantic, no immediate threat to land

<br>MIAMI (AP) _ Tropical Storm Erin, the fifth named storm of the hurricane season, formed deep in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday but didn't immediately threaten land. <br><br>Erin is forecast to strengthen

Monday, September 3rd 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MIAMI (AP) _ Tropical Storm Erin, the fifth named storm of the hurricane season, formed deep in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday but didn't immediately threaten land.

Erin is forecast to strengthen and could become a hurricane by Monday, said hurricane specialist Miles Lawrence.

At 11 p.m. EDT, Erin was located about 1,200 miles east of the Lesser Antilles and was moving west at about 17 mph. It was expected to continue its westward motion for the next day, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm's maximum sustained winds were 50 mph. A tropical depression becomes a named tropical storm when its top winds reach 39 mph.