Gert strengthens to hurricane force, second of 2017 Atlantic season: NHC

[August 15, 2017]    (Reuters) - Storm Gert has strengthened into the second hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic season, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Monday.

The hurricane, now located about 445 miles (720 km) west of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (120 km/h), is moving toward the north at about 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) at present, the NHC said.

"Swells generated by Gert will spread northward along the east coast of the United States from North Carolina northward to Long Island during the next couple of days," it added.

(Reporting by Arpan Varghese in Bengaluru)

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