MIAMI, CMC – Tropical Storm Danielle was strengthening and could become a hurricane by Monday night, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC).
But it said that the storm, which was located about 1,925 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands posed no immediate threat to Caribbean countries.
Danielle was packing sustained winds of 65 miles per hour and the present movement is west north west at 16 miles per hour.
“there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect,” the NHC said, adding that at 11.00 am, the center of the storm was near latitude 15.1 north, longitude 39.4 west and that a “slight increase in forward speed is expected over the next day or so.
“Danielle should make a turn towards the northwest by Wednesday,” it said, adding that additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours and Danielle could become a hurricane by this evening”.
Earlier this month, forecasters at the Colorado State University maintained their prediction for an above average Atlantic hurricane season this year.
The hurricane team, which includes the respected meteorologist William Gray, said it was sticking with its June prediction of 18 named storms – ten of them hurricanes – the year based on unusually warm sea surface temperatures and the development of a La Niña weather phenomenon.
Gray and his colleagues have predicted that five of the hurricanes will develop into major systems with sustained winds of 111 miles per hour or greater.
Danielle has already become a hurricane. can check it out on: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/