Danielle becomes first Atlantic hurricane this year

Tropical Storm Danielle strengthened into a hurricane Friday, the first of a relatively quiet 2022 Atlantic season.

As of Friday evening, it was nearly stationary and was expected to meander over the open Atlantic for the next couple of days, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm, which became a hurricane just before 10:50 a.m. Eastern time Friday, does not present an immediate threat to land.

The storm was about 895 miles west of the Azores in the North Atlantic with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.

“The upwelling of cooler water underneath slow-moving Danielle is likely to prevent much strengthening in the near-term,” the hurricane center said.