(Reuters) - Tropical Storm Katia has strengthened gradually as it moves west-northwest, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Wednesday.
At 05:00 a.m. ET, Katia was located about 985 miles west of the southern Cape Verde Islands, with maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour (100 km/h), and was moving west-northwest at 21 miles per hour (33 km/h).
"This general motion is expected to continue with a gradual decrease in forward speed during the next couple of days," the NHC said.
There are still no coastal watches or warnings in effect, NHC added.
(Reporting by Naveen Arul in Bangalore; Editing by Ed Lane)
