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| Though Hurricane Chris wasn't expected to make landfall in the United States, ocean swells could create life-threatening conditions. Image courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
By Danielle Haynes and Sommer Brokaw, UPI
Chris strengthened into a hurricane Tuesday afternoon as it began to move away from the U.S. East Coast, the National Hurricane Center said.
[post_ads]The center of the storm was located 205 miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and was moving about 10 mph toward the northeast, the NHC's 5 p.m. EDT update said. On Monday, then-Tropical Storm Chris was largely stationary off the coast of North Carolina.
Tropical storm-force winds extended 90 miles from the center of the storm and hurricane-force winds extended 15 miles.
There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect Tuesday, though the National Hurricane Center said life-threatening swells could reach mid-Atlantic states.
On the forecast track, Hurricane Chris was expected to move northeast well out to sea away from the U.S. coast, though it could make landfall as a tropical storm Thursday or Friday in Newfoundland, Canada.
Chris was the second hurricane of the Atlantic season after Beryl, which degenerated into remnants Monday.
By Thursday night or early Friday, Chris is expected to weaken to a non-tropical storm.
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