Hurricane Isaac prompts storm watch for Newfoundland

MIAMI, Oct 1 (Reuters) A tropical storm watch was in effect for eastern parts of the Canadian province of Newfoundland today as Hurricane Isaac churned through the north Atlantic.

Isaac, the fifth hurricane of the Atlantic season, was expected to weaken as it neared Newfoundland. The storm watch, alerting residents to possible severe weather within 36 hours, covered the Avalon Peninsula, including Cape Race and St. John's.

At 11 am (2030 hrs IST) today, the center of Isaac was about (1,497 km) south-southwest of Cape Race and was moving north at about (21 kph), the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Isaac had sustained winds of (129 km per hour), the center said.

It was expected to reach Newfoundland late tomorrow.

Isaac was the ninth storm of an unexpectedly mild Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November. 30.

Forecasters had predicted an above-average season following last year's record-breaker, which saw 28 tropical storms, 15 of which became hurricanes.

Hurricane Katrina, which hit the US Gulf coast in August, 2005, became the most expensive natural disaster in US history with about 80 billion dollar in damage. It killed about 1,500 people and swamped the city of New Orleans.

The average Atlantic hurricane season sees about 10 tropical storms, six of which develop into hurricanes.

Forecasters say a number of factors have combined to make the storms fewer and weaker this year, including the presence of Saharan dust over the Atlantic and the development of El Nino conditions in the eastern Pacific.

El Nino, a warm-water phenomenon, is accompanied by changing wind patterns that tend to dampen hurricane activity in the Atlantic.

REUTERS SY PM2107