Tropical storm watch issued for North Carolina

MIAMI - Forecasters issued a tropical storm watch for the North Carolina coast ahead of Tropical Storm Danny.

Forecasters said large swells were expected to produce dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents along the U.S. East Coast over the next day or two.

The watch is in effect from Cape Lookout north to Duck, including the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds.

As of 11 p.m. ET, Danny was centered about 485 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and moving north at 8 mph. Tropical Storm force winds extended out more than 200 miles.

Danny's maximum sustained winds decreased Thursday evening to near 45 mph but strengthening was possible over the next few days.

In the Pacific, Ignacio had weakened to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds near 35 mph.

It was centered about 1,060 miles west of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula.

Dr. Steve Lyons, tropical weather expert at The Weather Channel, said the "most likely scenario" was that Danny would move east and may miss New England "and affect southeast Maine and the Canadian Maritimes a little farther west than Bill did."

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