Hurrican Gordon Gaat over tot Categorie 1

Hurricane Gordon weakens into Category 1 storm


POSTED: 11:32 a.m. EDT, September 19, 2006
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MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- Hurricane Gordon weakened to a Category 1 storm Tuesday, as it sped toward the sparsely populated Azores islands in the Atlantic, forecasters said.
The islands off the Atlantic coast of Africa should feel the effects of Gordon by Tuesday night, said Dan Brown, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Two to 4 inches of rain were expected, with higher terrain possibly getting 6 inches.
At 11 a.m. EDT, Gordon had top sustained winds near 85 mph (140 kph), down from 100 mph (161 kph) earlier in the morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was centered about 455 miles (730 km) west of a U.S. Air Force base in the Azores off the Atlantic coast of Africa. (Watch how Hurricane Gordon will affect Spain -- 2:27)
Meanwhile, Hurricane Helene, a Category 3 storm, was expected to miss Bermuda, forecasters said.
The storm had top sustained winds near 115 mph (185 kph) with strengthening expected over the next day, forecasters said. (Projected path)
"It's forecast to pass several hundred miles east of Bermuda in two to three days," Brown said. "It will likely stay far enough east where they won't feel too much effects. They may get a little bit of a breeze."
Helene strengthened late Sunday into the second major hurricane of the Atlantic season with 115 mph winds (185 kph) and intensified even more early Monday. Major hurricanes are those Category 3 and higher.
At 5 a.m. EDT, it was centered about 945 miles (1520 km) east-southeast of Bermuda. It was moving west-northwest near 8 mph (13 kph) and was expected to continue on the same path into Wednesday, forecasters said.
The National Hurricane Center's latest forecast for the Atlantic season expects between seven and nine hurricanes, a slight reduction from earlier predictions.
Scientists have said that weak El Nino conditions had inhibited hurricane development by bringing higher ocean temperatures that increase crosswinds over the Caribbean. The winds can rip storms apart or stop them from forming.
But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has warned that the El Nino effect on hurricanes has been small so far. And the season, which lasts until November 30, is still at its traditional peak.