Chance of cyclone near Halifax, Nova Scotia down to 10 percent

03/09/2011 - 0:04

(Reuters) - A low-pressure system about 300 miles south southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia now has a low 10 percent chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Friday, down from 40 percent earlier.

Shower activity associated with the low pressure system continued to decrease and the low is becoming associated with a frontal system, the NHC said in its latest report.

If the system develops into a storm, it would be named Maria. Tropical cyclones become named tropical storms when their winds exceed 39 miles per hour (63 km/h) and become hurricanes when their winds reach more than 74 mph (119 km/h).

(Reporting by Soma Das in Bangalore; editing by Carol Bishopric)