tropical storm ana 2009

Tropical Storm Ana had maximum winds of 40 miles per hour and could threaten the Leeward Islands by Monday.At 0500 EDT , the storm was located around 1,000 miles east of the Leeward Islands.The Hurricane Center said the storm was expected to strengthen slowly over the next 48 hours. It could threaten Puerto Rico by Tuesday and subsequently head toward the Bahamas and Florida. It was not expected to become a full-blown hurricane, according to the Center's current projections.

The 2009 hurricane season, which runs from June through November, has gotten off to a late start. By this time last year, there had already been five named storms in the Atlantic basin. Energy traders watch for storms that could enter the Gulf of Mexico and threaten U.S. oil and natural gas platforms and refineries along the coast.Commodity traders watch storms that could hit crops such as citrus and cotton in Florida and other states along the coast to Texas.Tropical Storm Ana has formed over the Atlantic and could strengthen as it heads toward the Leeward Islands, forecasters said Saturday.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Ana could trigger a tropical storm watch for parts of the Leeward Islands later Saturday. It may pick up speed and approach the islands by Monday, the hurricane center said. It was 1,010 miles east of the islands early Saturday.Ana, the first named storm of the Atlantic season, could slowly strengthen in the next couple of days as it moves to the west at 16 mph. Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph.Meanwhile, Hurricane Guillermo was swirling in the Pacific as a Category 3 storm.

Winds were near 115 mph as the hurricane moved to the west-northwest at 16 mph. It was about 1,450 miles west of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula early Saturday morning.However, Guillermo was expected to weaken Saturday and become even less powerful Sunday as it moves over cooler waters.