MIAMI - The U.S. National Hurricane Center is currently watching several named storms and a tropical depression in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, with Hurricane Paulette battering Bermuda and Tropical Storm Sally posing a threat to the southern United States.

Meteorologists say Sally, about 195 kilometers off the coast of Louisiana at the last forecast, is expected to strengthen to a hurricane as it moves north to northeast across the north-central Gulf of Mexico Monday. It is expected to move onto the Louisiana Coast Tuesday, and hurricane warnings are in effect for the state's coastline as well as Mississippi and portions of Alabama.

Louisiana is still recovering from Hurricane Laura which hit the state last month, killing six people and causing millions of dollars in damage.

Meanwhile, the hurricane center said in its last report that the eye of Hurricane Paulette was moving across northeastern Bermuda. The storm hit the island late Sunday with maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour, heavy rain, and a dangerous storm surge, causing significant coastal flooding. Conditions are expected to improve later Monday as the storm moves away from the island.

Earlier, the hurricane center upgraded a system named Teddy from a tropical depression to a tropical storm, which is expected to strengthen into a powerful hurricane as it moves north later this week. Forecasters say it is too soon to tell whether it could also pose a threat to Bermuda.

Meanwhile, the hurricane center is also watching the system called Rene, which they say is just hanging on as a tropical depression. Forecasters say Rene is about 1,795 kilometers northeast of the Leeward Islands and that they expect it to dissipate by Wednesday,