Ophelia turns into seventh hurricane of the season

Tropical Storm Ophelia strengthened into a hurricane today as it stalled 70 miles off the north-east Florida coast, churning up waves that caused beach erosion and drenched Kennedy Space Centre with rain.

Early today, Ophelia had top sustained winds of 75mph, just over the threshold to be classified as a hurricane, forecasters at the National Hurricane Centre said.

But forecasters said it was still unclear where Ophelia was heading.

If it hits Florida, it would be the third hurricane to strike the state this year and the seventh in the last 13 months.

Downpours from earlier storms had caused flooding in Flagler County, raising anxiety levels about the effect of more rain. Authorities shut down a mile-long stretch of beachfront road in Flagler Beach so transportation workers could shore it up with sand and boulders.

As a precaution, 14 US Navy ships at the Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville headed to sea.

Two shelters in Flagler County were also readied just in case. Neighbouring Volusia County opened three shelters, but later closed them because just 12 people showed up.

“We know from last year these storms can do an about-face. We are not out of the woods unless this storm moves well away from Volusia’s coast,” said Dave Byron, spokesman for Volusia County. Volusia County schools were closed yesterday.

Ophelia is the 15th named storm of the season. At 4am BST today, it was centred about 80 miles east-north east of Cape Canaveral, with hurricane-force winds stretching up to 25 miles from the centre. The storm was nearly stationary.

Hurricane specialist Jack Beven said Ophelia should start moving north or north east – away from land – within a day or so. However, it could curl back early next week and slam north Florida or Georgia as a Category 1 hurricane.

Storm warnings or watches were posted for Florida’s east coast from Sebastian Inlet to Fernandina Beach.

Rhonda Long, working at the Thunderbird Beach Motel in Daytona Beach, said after Ophelia strengthened that she was nervous but had not boarded up.

“Of course in the back of my mind I’m worried,” especially after Katrina, she said.

Officials at Nasa were also keeping an eye on Ophelia. Last summer, the space agency’s launch and landing site took the brunt of three hurricanes, which punched big holes into the massive building where shuttles are attached to their booster rockets and fuel tanks.

Ophelia was the seventh hurricane of the Atlantic season, which began on June 1 and ends on November 30. Hurricanes Nate and Maria were churning elsewhere in the Atlantic, but neither was considered a threat to the US. Bermuda’s tropical storm warning was discontinued.

The season’s peak typically occurs from the end of August through mid-September.