Chris Becomes First Hurricane of 2012 Season

It weakened back into a tropical storm Thursday afternoon

Hurricane Chris briefly became the first hurricane of the 2012 season before weakening into a tropical storm, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Thursday.

At 11 a.m. Chris was a category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph as it moved northeast at 20 mph about 625 miles southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

But by about 5 p.m. Chris' maximum sustained winds were near 70 mph, though there were higher gusts.

The National Hurricane Center forecast further weakening of the storm and said it expected Chris to become a post-tropical cyclone on Friday.

Late Thursday afternoon, Chris was about 585 miles east-southeast of Cape Race and moving north-northeast at 14 mph.

There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Chris is expected to turn toward the northwest and west with a decrease in forward speed Friday, followed by a turn toward the southwest and south on Saturday.

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