Hurricanes Swirl Across Atlantic

Hurricanes Isaac and Joyce swirled across the central Atlantic Ocean early Thursday, a dynamic duo that forecasters predict have different futures. Hurricane Joyce was moving west with top sustained winds of 90 mph, but was not expected to strengthen throughout the day because of a westerly shear, forecasters said.

Hurricane Isaac, with top wind speeds of 120 mph, swirled across the open sea about 975 miles northwest of Joyce, the 10th named storm of the season.

Neither system posed any immediate threat to land.

``Isaac is no threat to any land in the foreseeable future,'' said Jack Beven, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. ``Joyce could be a threat to the Caribbean islands several days away, but it's too early to say with any certainty yet.''

Joyce, which formed as a tropical storm Monday, was expected to make a turn to the north in several days, said hurricane specialist James Franklin.

``What we don't know is how sharp that turn will be,'' he said. ``If it's a modest turn it would go into the Caribbean.''

At 5 a.m. EDT, Joyce was centered about 1,135 miles east of the Windward Islands and was moving west at about 12 mph. Isaac was about 925 miles east-southeast of Bermuda and moving northwest at about 16 mph.

Isaac's winds were forecast to continue re-strengthening. After reaching top winds of 120 mph Saturday, it had lost power for several days as other weather systems began affecting it. It cleared those systems and rebuilding began Wednesday.