(Reuters) - An area of low pressure located in the mid-Atlantic ocean, about 1,000 miles (1600 km) west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands, has a high, or 70 percent chance, of becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Tuesday in its latest update.

"A tropical depression could form during the next day or so while the system moves westward or west-northwest ward at 10 to 15 miles per hour (16-24 kph)," the Miami-based weather forecaster said.

(Reporting by Anupam Chatterjee in Bangalore; Editing by Sunil Nair)