As the East Coast mopped up after Hurricane Irene, a new tropical storm formed Tuesday in the Atlantic, raising the question: Is another one coming?

By 11 p.m. ET, Tropical Storm Katia's top winds had increased to 60 mph. It was jogging west at a brisk 22 mph and the U.S. National Hurricane Center said it was expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday.

But beyond predicting that Katia will be a major hurricane northeast of the Caribbean's northern Leeward Islands by Sunday, the Miami-based center said it was not yet able to predict its path with certainty, or say whether it will threaten the U.S. East Coast.

"It's still well out to sea. A lot of things can happen ... We don't show it affecting any land areas for five days. Beyond that is merely speculation," NHC senior hurricane specialist Richard Pasch told Reuters.

Nevertheless, he recommended that the East Coast and the Caribbean should "keep an eye" on Katia.

At 11 p.m. EDT (0300 GMT Wednesday), Katia was about 885 miles west of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands, still far out to the east in the Atlantic. The NHC expects the storm to continue on the same track at a somewhat slower clip over the next 48 hours.

"Steady strengthening is ... expected and the official forecast shows Katia becoming a hurricane in about 24 hours," the NHC said.....