Tropical Storm Ida could strengthen

TROPICAL Storm Ida is getting stronger in the open Atlantic Ocean but remains no threat to any land, forecasters say.

Ida’s centre was 1,035 miles (1,670 kilometres) east of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean, the National Hurricane Center said in its 0900 GMT bulletin.

September is typically the peak of the hurricane season.

But Stewart said Ida’s low level circulation center isn’t embedded in the core of the storm’s main mass of thunderstorm clouds, suggesting that vertical wind shear is still disrupting its growth.

The NHC said this general motion, accompanied by a decrease in forward speed is expected today and a slow meandering motion is forecast to occur tomorrow.

Ida is expected to continue on a west-northwest path for the next day or so, then nearly stop in its tracks. It could remain essentially stationary for a few days after that. By Wednesday, Ida will become embedded in the western part of the trough and will begin moving slowly southeastward, Stewart said.

An area of disturbed weather off the U.S. East Coast had only a 10 percent chance of development on Sunday morning.