FRED BECOMES THE SECOND MAJOR HURRICANE OF THE YEAR...NO THREAT TO LAND...

At 11am AST, Hurricane Fred was located about 540 miles west of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands and moving towards the northwest at 13 mph. A gradual turn to the north-northwest and north with a decrease in forward speed is forecast during the next couple of days. The maximum sustained winds are 120 mph and the estimated minimum pressure is 958 mb. Fred is a Category 3 Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.