Hurricane Otto continues to weaken over the central Atlantic Ocean

[News_Editor]

Hurricane Otto continues to weaken over the central Atlantic Ocean

2010-10-10 00:54:00 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIAMI (BNO NEWS) -- Hurricane Otto continued to weaken on Saturday as it moved over the central Atlantic Ocean, forecasters said, adding that the cyclone will soon weaken to a tropical or post-tropical storm.

As of 11 a.m. EDT on Saturday, the center of Hurricane Otto was located about 880 kilometers (545 miles) east of the British overseas territory of Bermuda. The storm was moving toward the northeast near 46 kilometers (29 miles) per hour.

"Otto is forecast to accelerate further on a generally northeastward course during the next 24 to 36 hours in between a large deep-layer trough over the northwest Atlantic and a subtropical ridge to its east," said Todd Kimberlain, a hurricane specialist at the Miami-based National Hurricane Center. "Once post-tropical, Otto is expected to abruptly decelerate and turn eastward and southeastward as it rounds the top of a shortwave ridge and dives into the west side of a trough over the northeast Atlantic."

Kimberlain said Otto's maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour, with higher gusts. "The cloud pattern associated with Otto has gradually been decreasing in organization during the last several hours," he said, adding that Otto is expected to further weaken as it enters a strongly sheared environment and moves over progressively cooler waters.

"Global models suggest that extratropical transition may have already begun," the hurricane specialist said. "And the completion of this process, although still a bit uncertain, is forecast by about 48 hours."

On the forecast track, the Azores may see some indirect effects from the storm by early Tuesday. By then, Otto will likely be either a post-tropical storm or a post-tropical depression. But until then, Otto will stay far away from any land.

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