Katia still a Category 2 hurricane

MIAMI, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- A strengthening Hurricane Katia was expected to produce the threat of rip currents along the U.S. East Coast in the next few days, U.S. forecasters said Sunday.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its 11 p.m. EDT advisory that the Category 2 hurricane was unleashing sustained winds of 105 mph with higher gusts as it headed northwestward at 13 mph. The eye of the storm was 385 miles north-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and about 655 miles south-southeast of Bermuda.

The powerful storm was still too far out to sea to necessitate any coastal watches or warnings, the hurricane center said.

Katia, which could become a major hurricane Monday, was pushing hurricane force winds outward up to 45 miles from its center and tropical storm force gales up to 175 miles, the forecasters said.

The hurricane center said large swells generated by Katia were expected to affect parts of the U.S. East Coast, Bermuda, the Greater Antilles and east-facing beaches of the Bahamas during the next few days.

The swells are likely to cause "life-threatening surf and rip conditions," the center said.

The Weather Undergound Web site's five-day projections using several storm forecasting scientific models suggested Katia's effect could be felt on the North Carolina coast by Friday.