Tuesday, August 30, 2011

New major hurricane possible by weekend

As the East Coast mopped up after Hurricane Irene, a new tropical storm formed Tuesday in the Atlantic, raising the question: Is another one coming?

By 11 p.m. ET, Tropical Storm Katia's top winds had increased to 60 mph. It was jogging west at a brisk 22 mph and the U.S. National Hurricane Center said it was expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday. But beyond predicting that Katia will be a major hurricane northeast of the Caribbean's northern Leeward Islands by Sunday, the Miami-based center said it was not yet able to predict its path with certainty, or say whether it will threaten the U.S. East Coast.

"It's still well out to sea. A lot of things can happen ... We don't show it affecting any land areas for five days. Beyond that is merely speculation," NHC senior hurricane specialist Richard Pasch told Reuters.

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