Tropical Storm Danielle strengthens, soon to be a hurricane
MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Danielle picked up strength in the Atlantic and was forecast to become the first hurricane of an unusually quiet storm season on Friday morning.
The storm is not currently a threat to any land.
The storm’s maximum sustained winds were near 70 mph (110 kph). Additional strengthening is forecast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The storm is centered about 890 miles (1,435 kilometers) west of the Azores and is moving east near 3 mph (6 kph). The hurricane center said the storm is expected to meander in the Atlantic over the next few days.
The tropical storm comes amid what had been a calm hurricane season. It is the first time since 1941 that the Atlantic has gone from July 3 to the end of August with no named storm, Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach had told The Associated Press earlier.
In the north Pacific, Tropical Storm Javier formed overnight. Forecasters said that late Thursday it was 380 kilometers south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph).
Javier is moving northwest at 10 mph (17 kph). It is expected to pick up speed and turn westward over the coming days.
