Tropical storm forms in eastern Gulf

CAMP SPRINGS, Maryland (CNN) -- A tropical wave in the eastern Gulf of Mexico has strengthened into the season's second tropical storm, an Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft reported Thursday.

At 3 p.m. EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Barry was about 320 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, the National Weather Service said.

It is moving northwest near 5 mph, the weather service said, and it is expected to continue in that path Thursday, followed by a gradual turn toward the west-northwest Friday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with higher gusts. Strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours.

Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center, mainly to the north and east.