Tropical storms Kirk, Ileana lurk at sea

Tropical Storm Kirk in the Atlantic and Tropical Storm Ileana in the Pacific were churning far from land Wednesday, U.S. forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its 11 a.m. EDT advisory that Kirk was centered about 1,135 miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and about 1,485 miles west-southwest of the Azores. The storm had sustained top winds of 45 mph as far as 70 miles from its center as it headed west-northwest at 12 mph. The forecasters said they expected Kirk to veer to the northwest by Thursday night, and then turn again to the north-northwest Friday. Gradual strengthening was expected during the next couple of days. Ileana was close to hurricane strength, with 70 mph sustained winds about 370 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Ileana was moving northwest at 10 mph. Ileana, which was pushing tropical storm-force gales outward as far as 105 miles from its center, was expected to become a hurricane sometime Wednesday and stay on its current track for the next couple of days. Because both storms are so far out to sea, no coastal watches or warnings were necessary, the hurricane center said.