TAMPA, Fla. — Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, developed Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico and appeared likely to soak parts of Florida and Cuba with heavy rain, forecasters said.

By midday, the storm had maximum sustained wind near 45 mph, up 10 mph from early in the morning, but it was not likely to grow into a hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said.

"The satellite presentation of the storm is not very impressive, so not much additional strengthening is anticipated," said hurricane specialist Richard Pasch.

The prospect of a wet storm without hurricane-force wind was welcomed by firefighters who have been battling wildfires for six weeks on Florida's east coast.