Miami — Tropical Storm Katia continues to gain strength as it moves west-northwest across the Atlantic.
Katia (KAH’-tee-yah) has maximum sustained winds late Tuesday afternoon of 60 mph (97 kph), a 20 mph increase over Tuesday morning. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says continued strengthening is forecast and Katia could become a hurricane by Wednesday.
Katia is centered about 750 miles (1,207 kilometers) west of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands and is moving at 20 mph (32 kph). Hurricane specialist Michael Brennan said Tuesday morning that Katia could affect the Caribbean, but that it was too early to tell if it would hit the U.S.
The storm’s name replaces Katrina in the rotating storm roster because of the catastrophic damage from the 2005 storm.