Hurricane Igor quickly strengthens to Category 4 hurricane in Atlantic; no threat to land yet

Hurricane Igor rapidly hits Category 4 in Atlantic

MIAMI — Forecasters say Hurricane Igor has rapidly strengthened to a Category 4 storm in the open Atlantic. It doesn’t immediately threaten land, but is expected to get stronger as it moves west.

Meanwhile, a tropical depression off the coast of Africa prompted officials to issue a tropical storm warning for parts of the Cape Verde Islands on Sunday.

Igor had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 kph) and was moving west at 14 mph (22 kph). Some additional strengthening is expected in the next two days.

The center of the storm was located about 1,065 miles (1,715 km) east of the Northern Leeward Islands.

Forecasters also warned that the newly formed depression could strengthen into a tropical storm as early as Sunday night. The storm warning was issued for the southern Cape Verde Islands, including Maio, Sao Tiago, Fogo and Brava.