Hurricane Katia—dubbed the second Atlantic hurricane of the 2011 season—weakened to a tropical storm on Thursday, Sept. 1, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The storm is still located far out in the Atlantic Ocean, around 900 miles east of the Leeward Islands near Puerto Rico. It is moving west at approximately 18 miles per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour.
The NHC warns that Katia could again strengthen and become a hurricane again before it hits the Caribbean Sea. It is unclear if it will hit the U.S. mainland, according to a computer simulation predicting the track of the storm.
In the Caribbean, there is an “80 percent” chance that an emerging system will turn into a tropical storm in the next two days, said the hurricane center. The new system is located west of Cuba and is heading slowly northwestward.
“Interests along the entire northern Gulf of Mexico coast should monitor the progress” of the storm, added the NHC.
Hurricane Katia Weakens to Tropical Storm
Hurricane Katia—dubbed the second Atlantic hurricane of the 2011 season—weakened to a tropical storm on Thursday, Sept. 1.
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