The first hurricane of the Atlantic storm season, Bill, strengthened Monday as it churned toward the US mainland, while another sizeable storm, Claudette, lost punch at landfall, weather officials said. "Bill could become a major hurricane by Wednesday," and was likely to grow in intensity as it moved north-west over the next one to two days, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
Hurricane Bill was moving northwest at 22 miles (35 km) an hour, packing sustained winds of 75 miles (120 km) an hour, according to the NHC. At 0900 GMT, Bill was churning in the middle of the Atlantic, 1,160 miles (1,870 kilometers) east of the Lesser Antilles.
Meanwhile Tropical Storm Claudette, which lashed tourist resorts with strong winds and heavy rain, weakened to a tropical depression as it moved across the southern United States. Claudette appeared suddenly on Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico, while most Atlantic hurricanes usually begin far from the US coast.
At 1100 GMT, Claudette was located 85 miles (135 kilometers) south-west of Montgomery, Alabama and was moving in north-westerly direction at about 12 miles (19 kilometers) per hour. The storm's winds have diminished to about 35 miles (55 kilometers) per hour, and were likely to continue to weaken as it continued its trek into south-western Alabama and into neighbouring Mississippi late Monday.
Emergency response teams were activated in northern Florida as the region braced for possible flooding from Claudette. Emergency officials in the state said up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain were expected in some areas. A third storm, Ana, which formed as a tropical storm early Saturday, weakened to a tropical depression and crept toward Hispaniola, prompting storm watches in the area.
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