MIAMI (AP) -- Forecasters say Hurricane Katia has formed in the Atlantic Ocean but that it is too early to know if it will threaten land.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said late Wednesday that maximum sustained winds had whipped up to 75 mph (121 kph).

The center in Miami is cautioning a public still recovering along parts of the East Coast from Irene not to stress over the storm.

Katia could become a major hurricane. But it's too soon to tell if it will ever come near land.

Katia is still more than 1,800 miles (3,000 kilometers) east of the Leeward Islands.

The storm's name replaces Katrina in the rotating storm roster because of the catastrophic damage from the 2005 storm that devastated New Orleans and the coast.