MIAMI, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Forecasters warned Monday of dangerous rip currents along the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda as Hurricane Katia became a Category 4 storm out in the open Atlantic.
In its 11 p.m. EDT update, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Katia, which has been yo-yoing in strength since forming out in the tropical Atlantic last week, was producing maximum sustained winds of 135 mph with higher gusts, making it a major hurricane.
Katia -- which was expected to experience further fluctuation in strength through Tuesday before weakening -- was moving northwest at 10 mph about 450 miles south of Bermuda.
The storm was pushing hurricane-force winds outward up to 60 miles and tropical-force gales outward up to 205 miles.
Katia was expected to slow its forward progress slightly through Wednesday, forecasters said.
Because it was still so far out at sea, no coastal watches or warnings were in effect, the hurricane center said, but the storm was expected to generate dangerous rip currents along most of the U.S. East Coast, Bermuda, and large swells could affect the Greater Antilles and east-facing beaches of the Bahamas during the next few days, the forecasters said. People in those areas should be aware of dangerous surf and rip current conditions, they said.
