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Hurricane Igor, swirling in the central Atlantic and not a threat to land, strengthened to a powerful category four storm, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. "Large and powerful Igor moving westward over the central tropical Atlantic," the NHC said. "Igor is a category four hurricane" on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale. At 2100 GMT, the storm had maximum sustained winds near 140 miles (220 kilometers) per hour, with higher gusts at 1830 GMT. "Some additional strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days," the NHC said. The center of Igor was 1,065 miles (1,715 kilometers) east of the northern Leeward Islands, traveling towards the west at 14 miles (22 kilometers) an hour.
Forecasters said the storm could turn west-northwest on Tuesday and track the northern Caribbean, possibly heading toward Bermuda. Meanwhile, a tropical depression formed off the coast of Africa, and a tropical storm warning was issued for the southern Cape Verde Islands. Tropical Depression Twelve was expected to become a tropical storm later Sunday or Monday, according to the Miami-based NHC. 
AP/Star-Telegram/Joyce Marshall
At 0000 GMT the storm was dumping rain on the islands, located off western tip of the African continent. Early this week, powerful Tropical Storm Hermine slammed into far northeastern Mexico and then barreled into US territory, sparking flash floods on both sides of the border. Hermine came on the heels of Hurricane Earl, which gained category four status at its height in the Atlantic Ocean, whipping up heavy winds along the east coast of the United States and Canada. [ YAHOO NEWS ] |
