NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. National Hurricane Center was monitoring three storm systems in the Atlantic basin on Monday, and computer models still showed all three steering clear of key oil and gas-producing areas in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tropical Storm Fiona became the latest named storm, forming in the central Atlantic Monday afternoon.
In its latest advisory, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Fiona, the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season's sixth named storm, was located about 890 miles east of the Leeward Islands, moving west at 24 miles per hour (39 km per hour) with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.
Fiona could strengthen slightly in the next 48 hours, but NHC said it was not clear the system would become a hurricane.
Early computer models show the system tracking on a similar path to both hurricanes Danielle and Earl, turning northwest in the Atlantic and passing west of Bermuda.
Meanwhile the NHC upgraded Hurricane Earl in the western Atlantic to a major Category Four storm as winds climbed to 135 mph from 125 mph earlier. Some additional strengthening was expected over the next day or two.
Earl was located about 110 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, moving west-northwest at 15 mph.
Earl was eventually expected to turn northwest and then north, possibly coming near the North Carolina coast.
Meanwhile, Danielle, in the northern Atlantic Ocean weakened to a tropical storm Monday afternoon as winds slipped to about 70 mph from 75 mph earlier as it moved east-northeast at 15 mph. Further weakening was expected during the next 48 hours.
(Reporting by Joe Silha; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)