…T.S. Katia Gradually Strengthening As It Quickly Moves West-Northwestward…

At 5:00 a.m. EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Katia was located near latitude 13.9 north, longitude 39.1 west, or about 985 miles west of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands. Katia is moving toward the west-northwest near 21 mph, and this general motion is expected to continue with a gradual decrease in forward speed during the next couple of days