UPDATE - Tropical Storm Debby Weakens Over Open Water
Date: 24-Aug-06
Country: US
Debby had maximum sustained winds near 45 mph (75 kph), down from 50 mph (85 kph) six hours earlier, and was about 610 miles (980 km) west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands by 5 p.m. (2100 GMT), the Miami-based hurricane center said.
It was moving west-northwest near 20 mph (32 kph). Little change in strength was forecast over the next 24 hours. The storm system was then expected to move over warmer waters, the fuel it needs to gain power, as it headed in the general direction of the British mid-Atlantic territory of Bermuda.
Debby strengthened from a tropical depression into a tropical storm late on Tuesday when sustained winds reached 39 mph (63 kph).
The hurricane center said Debby could become the season's first hurricane by Sunday, when its top winds were projected to reach 74 mph (119 kph), the threshold for hurricane status.
Its most likely long-range track took the storm well to the east of Bermuda, where it would not threaten the Southeastern United States or the oil-producing US Gulf Coast, battered by the record-breaking 2005 hurricane season.
The current June 1 to Nov. 30 Atlantic hurricane season has been quiet to date, with only three tropical storms.
Last year produced a record 28 tropical storms and hurricanes. Katrina devastated New Orleans and killed about 1,500 people along the Gulf coast, according to the latest estimate by the hurricane center.
The busiest period of a hurricane season is usually between mid-August and late October.