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Hurricanes Fabian and Isabel Churn at Sea

Posted on: Monday, 8 September 2003, 06:00 CDT

Two hurricanes were swirling in the Atlantic Ocean, one weakening in the shipping lanes near Canada and the other strengthening near Caribbean islands. Neither was an immediate threat to land.

Hurricane Isabel was projected to stay over open waters for at least five days, said Richard Pasch, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. He said it was too early to tell whether it would affect the United States or Caribbean.

At 5 a.m. EDT, Isabel had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, making it a Category 2 hurricane. It was centered about 1,350 miles east of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, a chain of Caribbean islands that includes Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia and Barbados.

Isabel was moving west-northwest near 16 mph. Forecasters said additional strengthening was expected and Isabel could become a major hurricane in the next day or so.

Hurricane Fabian was about 440 miles east of Cape Race, Newfoundland, and moving northeast at 39 mph across the shipping lanes of the north Atlantic. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and was expected to lose its tropical characteristics as it moves over cooler waters Monday. But forecasters said it would remain a large, powerful low-pressure system.

Fabian was the most powerful storm to hit Bermuda in 50 years and officials were working Sunday to assess the damage. The body of a 37-year-old police officer was found Sunday. Two other officers and a civilian were still missing.

Pasch said it wasn't surprising to have two hurricanes in the Atlantic: "It's not that unusual given that this is the peak of the season."

Also in the Atlantic, tropical depression Henri was moving away from the East Coast after crossing the Florida Peninsula a day earlier.

Henri was about 195 miles south of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and moving northeast near 9 mph. Henri had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph - below the 39 mph minimum threshold to become a tropical storm. Forecasters predicted a slight strengthening during the next 24 hours but Henri appeared to be losing tropical characteristics as it merged with a weak frontal boundary.

Henri became a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico, then weakened and sped across Florida, sparing much of the state from heavy rains and flooding.

Another tropical depression could form Monday. Conditions are favorable for development around a strong tropical wave located about 300 miles southeast of the Cape Verde Islands, forecasters said.

The Atlantic Hurricane season began June 1 and ends Nov. 30.

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On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

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