Hurricane Igor, Tropical Storm Julia churn far from land

Miami, Florida (News Today) - Hurricane Igor weakened late Monday, but maintained its status as a powerful Category 4 storm as it churned in the open waters of the Atlantic.

At 11 p.m. ET, Igor had top sustained winds of 140 mph (220 kph) and was moving to the west at 9 mph (15 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm's center was about about 785 miles (1,260 km) east of the northern Leeward Islands.

Behind it, Tropical Storm Julia strengthened and could become a hurricane with in the next day or so, the hurricane center said. Julia, too, was moving away from land.

Igor, which started as a tropical storm on Saturday, rapidly intensified from a Category 2 to a Category 4 storm Sunday, the center said. Forecasters described it as "large and powerful" but said it would likely drop to a Category 3 storm by the end of the week.

Hurricane-force winds extended up to 50 miles (85 km) from Igor's center, and tropical storm-force winds could be felt up to 195 miles (315 km) outward, according to the center.

As of Monday evening, no coastal watches or warnings were in effect, and the storm is expected to turn to the west-northwest by Tuesday.

While the storm is expected to stay north of the Caribbean islands, the islands are expected to experience dangerous surf conditions, along with some wind and rain because of Igor's size, forecasters said.

Meanwhile, in the far eastern Atlantic, Tropical Storm Julia kept pace late Monday.

At of 11 p.m. ET, its center was about 245 miles (395 km) north-northwest of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands. The storm's maximum sustained winds were at 50 mph (85 kph) and it was moving west-northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).

"Strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours and Julia could become a hurricane during the next day or so," the hurricane center said.

Tracking maps show Julia peaking as a Category 1 hurricane over the open Atlantic later in the week before dropping back to tropical storm intensity without nearing land.

Source : CNN

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