Hurricane Danielle strengthens over Atlantic

MIAMI (Reuters) - Hurricane Danielle strengthened over the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday but posed no threat to land or energy interests, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Danielle was 1,110 miles east of the Lesser Antilles and was moving west at 20 miles per hour (32 km per hour).

It carried top sustained winds of 100 miles per hour (160 km per hour) making it a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale.

Danielle was forecast to become a "major" hurricane by early Wednesday when its winds were expected to reach at least 111 miles per hour.

Computer models showed Danielle curving to the northwest on a path that would keep it over open seas without threatening land.

(Reporting by Alan Elsner)