Tropical Storm Ophelia weakens off Florida

MIAMI (Reuters) – Hurricane Ophelia weakened into a
tropical storm and began to creep away from Florida’s Atlantic
Coast on Friday but forecasters said it could return to the
U.S. coast as a stronger hurricane next week.

Ophelia had top winds of 65 mph (104), down from 75 mph
(120 kph) a day earlier, but was expected to strengthen and
cross the 74-mph (118-kph) threshold to regain hurricane
status, the National Hurricane Center said.

At 8 a.m. (1200 GMT), Ophelia’s center was about 115 miles

east of Daytona Beach, Florida.

It had been parked in the same spot for three days and
began drifting northeast on Friday, inching away from the U.S.
coast. But Ophelia was expected to loop back toward the United
States next week.

Forecasting models disagreed on its path and potential
intensity but one had Ophelia strengthening into a major
hurricane with winds of at least 111 mph (178 kph) on Sunday.

“It is too early to be specific about which areas might
ultimately be affected by Ophelia, but … interests from
Florida through the Carolinas will need to monitor Ophelia for
the next several days,” the National Hurricane Center said in
its advisory.

With the U.S. Gulf Coast still in the early stages of
recovering from the August 29 Hurricane Katrina, there was some
concern as Ophelia formed that it could pose a threat to that
region.

But Hurricane Center meteorologist Eric Blake said, “Right
now we don’t have anything that takes it into the Gulf.”

Tropical storm warnings, alerting residents that the outer
edges of the storm could hit them within 24 hours, were posted
for a 120-mile stretch of Florida’s Atlantic coast from
Sebastian Inlet to Flagler Beach.

Forecasters said Ophelia could trigger dangerous rip tides
all along the southeastern coast of the United States.

Some of Ophelia’s outer squalls lashed northeast Florida on
Thursday. The storm churned up pounding waves that worsened
erosion on beaches already hit by some of the six hurricanes
that have crisscrossed Florida in the last 13 months.

Two other storms, Hurricane Nate and Tropical Storm Maria,
spun over the open Atlantic but did not threaten land.