Hurricane Katia weakens slightly in open Atlantic

MIAMI (AP) ? Hurricane Katia has weakened slightly as it moves northwestward across the Atlantic but is still a Category 2 storm.

Find your local weather with The Weather Channel zip-code lookup:

AP

This NOAA satellite image taken Monday shows Category 2 Hurricane Katia located about 385 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands.

Early Monday, Katia's maximum sustained winds decreased to 100 mph (160 kph). But the U.S. National Hurricane Center says some strengthening is forecast and Katia is expected to become a major hurricane by Tuesday.

Hurricane specialist Todd Kimberlain says it's looking less likely that Katia will hit land but that wind from the storm could still affect the U.S. East Coast as it moves north. Kimberlain also says the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions should still keep an eye on Katia.

• INTERACTIVE: Track Katia, Lee

Katia is centered about 400 miles (645 kilometers) north of the northern Leeward Islands and is moving northwest near 12 mph (19 kph).

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button. Read more.

detroit news emirates today newspaper florida today newspaper fox news