Tropical Storm Beryl, the second named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, formed off the North Carolina coast Tuesday and a tropical storm watch was issued for the eastern part of the state.

A hurricane reconnaissance aircraft reported that the storm’s maximum sustained winds were at least 40 mph, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

At 10 p.m. CDT, Beryl was centered about 130 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras and was moving north at about 7 mph.

The storm was expected to make its closest approach to North Carolina today and it was forecast to remain a tropical storm, said hurricane specialist Eric Blake.