Ophelia, Philippe rumbling in Atlantic

Tropical Storms Ophelia and Philippe worked their way across the Atlantic Ocean early Sunday, with an anemic Ophelia leading the way, U.S. forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its 11 p.m. EDT advisory that Ophelia was having trouble holding together as a cyclonic storm as it steamed 310 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands at 12 miles per hour. The storm was producing maximum sustained winds of 45 mph up to 260 miles from its center as it moved to the west-northwest. However, Ophelia's forward progress was expected to slow through late Monday and it could degenerate into a low pressure trough at any time, forecasters said. Meanwhile, forecasters project Philippe, which had tropical storm-level winds extending outward from its center up to 35 miles, could become a hurricane by late Monday. Philippe was about 370 miles southwest of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands at 11 p.m. EDT. The hurricane center said the storm had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph as it cruised to the west-northwest at 13 mph. Philippe was expected to stay on that path Sunday, then turn to the northwest and slow down Monday. Neither storm was cause for forecasters to issue any coastal watches or warnings.