..DANIELLE BECOMES THE FIRST ATLANTIC HURRICANE OF THE SEASON...

At 300 PM GMT (1500 UTC), the center of Hurricane Danielle was about 885 miles (1425 km) west of the Azores (near latitude 37.9 North, longitude 43.3 West). Danielle is moving toward the west near 1 mph (2 km/h). The hurricane is

forecast to meander over the open Atlantic during the next couple of days, then slowly turn toward the northeast early next week.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 75 mph (120 km/h) with higher gusts. Some additional strengthening is forecast during

the next couple of days. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 15 miles (30 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles (185 km).

For more information, please visit: www.hurricanes.gov/Danielle