Leslie weakens; Kirk, Ileana petering out

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MIAMI, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Tropical Storm Leslie weakened through the day Sunday, easing back from its near-hurricane strength out in the Atlantic Ocean, U.S. forecasters said.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its 5 p.m. EDT advisory that Leslie's sustained winds had throttled back to 60 mph from 70 mph 12 hours earlier as it headed northwestward at 10 mph about 370 miles north of the Leeward Islands.

Though Leslie was pushing tropical storm-force gales 205 miles out from its center, it was still far enough out to sea that no coastal watches or warnings were necessary, U.S. forecasters said.

However, swells generated by Leslie could affect parts of the Leeward Islands through the weekend and begin to affect Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Sunday night. Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions will be possible in those areas.

Leslie was forecast to stay on its current path through Sunday night, then turn to the north-northwest at a slightly slower speed Monday. No significant increase in strength was expected for the next couple of days the hurricane center said.

Tropical Storm Kirk became post-tropical Sunday in the north Atlantic, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. It was centered 965 miles east-northeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland and about 855 miles north-northwest of the Azores.

The storm was moving to the northeast at a 32 mph clip and was expected to dissipate by Monday over cooler waters.

Out in the Pacific Ocean, Ileana was no longer a tropical cyclone, the hurricane center said. The storm had sustained winds of just 30 mph and was moving to the west at 12 mph about 805 miles west of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico.