MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- Tropical Storm Debby was expected to stay away from land as it remained off the coast of the Cape Verde islands in the eastern Atlantic, forecasters said Thursday.
At about 5 a.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 845 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde islands, which are about 350 miles off the African coast. It was moving toward the west northwest near 20 mph, and this general direction was expected to continue for the next day, the National Hurricane Center said.
There are hopeful signs that that storm will stay out at sea and not reach the U.S., senior hurricane specialist James Franklin said. (Path)
The storm had top sustained winds near 45 mph, with slow strengthening forecast for the next day.
"We are forecasting it to become a hurricane in about four days, but we do see some factors that could prevent that," senior hurricane specialist Richard Pasch said.
It is the fourth named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season.
In the Pacific Ocean, Hurricane Ioke passed near Johnston Island, part of the isolated Johnston Atoll, a wildlife refuge and U.S. military facility, according to the weather service's Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu.
At 11 p.m. EDT, Ioke was centered about 180 miles northwest of the island, or about 920 miles west of Honolulu. It was moving toward the northwest at about 8 mph with a maximum sustained wind speed near 105 mph. Little change in strength was forecast for the next day.
Johnston Atoll has been used by the U.S. military for weapons tests and as the site of a chemical weapons disposal plant. During the 1950s, nuclear warheads were detonated high above the islands. The chemical disposal unit was shut down and its military personnel removed in June 2004, according to the Web site of the Air Force's 15th Airlift Wing.