Tropical Storm Isaac slows in Atlantic, could near Canada next week

Friday, September 29th 2006, 6:26 am

By: News On 6

MIAMI (AP) _ Tropical Storm Isaac slowed slightly Friday in the central Atlantic on a path that could take it near Canada early next week, but it didn't appear to be a major threat to land, forecasters said.

At 11 a.m. EDT, the ninth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season had top sustained winds near 45 mph, the same as Thursday night. Its center was about 550 miles east-southeast of Bermuda and moving toward the west-northwest near 6 mph.

The storm was expected to move north and then northeast in the open Atlantic, with an area of low pressure blocking it from nearing the United States, National Hurricane Center forecasters said.

Isaac should also stay to the east of Bermuda, but the Canadian Maritimes and Newfoundland could feel the outer edges of the storm sometime Monday or Tuesday, hurricane specialist Eric Blake said. It was too soon to tell whether the strongest parts of the storm would reach land, he said.

Isaac could lose its tropical characteristics by then, Blake said.

The Atlantic hurricane season began June 1 and ends Nov. 30. September is traditionally one of the busiest months of the season.