Hurricane Edouard forms in Atlantic, but no threat to land

The fifth named storm of the Atlantic season had top sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph), making it a Category 1 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity.

Its center was about 915 miles (1,470 km) east-northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands and was moving toward the northwest, the Miami-based hurricane center said.

"This is not a threat to land," NHC spokesman Dennis Feltgen said. "This will curve harmlessly out to sea. It's already far out at sea and should continue to stay out there."

Additional strengthening was possible and Edouard could become the first major hurricane of the Atlantic season, he added.

So far this year, only one Atlantic hurricane - Arthur, a Category 2 storm, made landfall in the United States, on North Carolina?s Outer Banks in early July.

In its August outlook, the NHC said cooler-than-average temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean would make it difficult for larger storms to develop.

(Reporting by Peter Cooney in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

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