Tropical Storm Bonnie 2010 Forming, Moving Toward Oil Spill
NASSAU, Bahamas — Tropical Storm Bonnie steamed through the central Bahamas on Thursday night while tracking a course that could take it over the site of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Rain and lightning raked the low-lying Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas, and forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm could reach the Gulf of Mexico by Saturday.
On Thursday night, Bonnie had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph), and was centered about 165 miles (265 kilometers) southeast of the Bahamian capital of Nassau and was approaching the northwestern Bahamas.
On Friday, the center of Bonnie was expected to pass near or over the Florida Keys and part of the southern Florida peninsula. U.S. forecasters said slow strengthening of the storm was possible during the next 48 hours.
Capt. Stephen Russell, director of the Bahamian National Emergency Management Agency, said there were no reports of major damage, flooding or injuries on islands in the southeastern and central Bahamas already passed by the storm. The storm wasn’t yet clear of the most heavily populated islands in the northeast, including New Providence and Grand Bahama. Read more
Hurricane Ida Projected Path
MIAMI – Hurricane Ida has been downgraded to a tropical storm, weakening as it dumps heavy rains over Nicaragua.
The storm was at hurricane strength when it hit the country’s Atlantic coast around sunrise Thursday, destroying several dozen homes and forcing the evacuation of more than 3,000 people.
On Thursday afternoon, Ida was clocking 65 mph (100 kph) winds. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami say it was centered about 75 miles (125 km) north of Bluefields, Nicaragua, and had moved little since making landfall.
No deaths or injuries have been reported because of the storm, which has forced the evacuation of more than 3,000 people. Ida was expected to weaken more as it moves across the mainland.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below. Read more
