Storm Earl in central Atlantic better organized

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Earl in the eastern Atlantic Ocean continued to move westward on Thursday, with the U.S. National Hurricane Center still expecting the system to become the season's third hurricane by Saturday.

Early computer models still show the storm moving west and then northwest, eventually passing well west of Bermuda and away from key oil and gas producing areas in the Gulf of Mexico.

In its latest advisory, the NHC said Earl, located about 1,620 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands, was getting better organized.

The system was moving slightly faster at 18 miles per hour (30 km per hour), but maximum sustained winds were unchanged from earlier at about 45 mph (75 km per hour).

Some additional strengthening was forecast during the next 48 hours, and Earl could become a hurricane by Saturday.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Danielle strengthened on Thursday, with wind speeds of 110 mph up slightly from 105 mph earlier but still just below major Category 3 strength.

Danielle was located about 680 miles southeast of Bermuda, moving northwest at about 15 mph.

The system was expected to gradually turn in a more northerly direction and strengthen into a major hurricane tonight or on Friday as wind climb to 111 mph or higher.

Computer models still showed Danielle tracking northwest and then north, eventually passing to the east of Bermuda.

The NHC was also monitoring an area of disturbed weather associated with a tropical wave about 450 miles southeast of the southern Cape Verde Islands in the far eastern Atlantic.

There was about a 20 percent chance that system would become a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours as it moved westward at 15 to 20 mph.

(Reporting by Joe Silha; Editing by Marguerita Choy)