World | USA
Gustav strengthens into hurricane off Cuba
The National Hurricane Centre said on Saturday that Hurricane Gustav has gained strength to become a Category 2 storm with winds near 100 mph.
- Agencies
- Published: 10:54 August 30, 2008
Miami: The National Hurricane Centre said on Saturday that Hurricane Gustav has gained strength to become a Category 2 storm with winds near 100 mph.
The centre said the latest data from an Air Force reconnaissance plane showed that Gustav continued to strengthen.
Early on Saturday, Gustav was centred about 50 miles northeast of Grand Cayman Island and moving northwest near 12 mph.
The centre of Gustav was expected to move away from the Cayman Islands later on Saturday and move over western Cuba later Saturday afternoon and evening.
The storm will then move into the southern Gulf of Mexico early on Sunday.
The US National Hurricane Centre said late on Friday that Gustav could be a "major" Category 4 storm on the five-stage Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity within 48 hours.
The storm's most likely track has it going ashore west of New Orleans on Tuesday morning.
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