MIAMI-
Hurricane Helene continued moving through the Atlantic on Sunday, and could spread gale-force winds over the Azores Islands, forecasters said.
Helene’s top sustained winds were near 85 mph, above the 74 mph threshold to be classified as a hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said. Helene strengthened into a hurricane again Saturday after being downgraded to a tropical storm the night before.
The storm was expected to weaken as it gradually loses tropical characteristics, the hurricane center said.
Tropical storm force winds extend up to 375 miles from Helene’s center, while hurricane force winds extend up to 90 miles from it.
Although the hurricane was expected to pass well to the north of the Azores at low speeds, gale-force winds could impact portions of the Azores by Sunday night, forecasters said.
At 5 a.m. EDT, Helene was centered about 705 miles west of the Azores. It was moving east-northeast near 23 mph.
The Atlantic hurricane season began June 1 and ends Nov. 30. September is traditionally one of the busiest months of the season.
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