Tropical depression Kilo seen slowly strengthening, Loke forms

(Reuters) - Tropical depression Kilo is expected to strengthen back into a tropical storm later on Sunday as it travels across the central Pacific toward the west end of the Hawaiian islands, the National Weather Service said. Further west in the Pacific a new storm, Loke, has been named and a tropical storm watch issued for Midway Island. That could be upgraded to a warning later on Sunday. There are no coastal storm watches or warnings in effect for Kilo, which is expected to miss Hawaii, on its current forecast path. Kilo, with sustained winds of up to 35 miles per hour (55 kilometers per hour), was centered roughly 570 miles (920 km) southwest of Honolulu by Sunday at 5 a.m. Hawaiian time(1500 GMT), moving west at about 15 mph (24 kph), the NWS said. Kilo is expected to turn northwest within 12-24 hours, then gradually northward. Loke was centered about 560 miles south-southwest of Midway Island at 5:00 a.m. Hawaii time, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was moving north at 9 mph. In the Atlantic, tropical storm conditions, with strong winds and 2 to 4 inches of rain, are expected to hit the Leeward Islands at the eastern edge of the Caribbean on Sunday evening as Danny, downgraded from a hurricane, moves west at a speed of 15 mph, the NWS said. A tropical storm warning - meaning storm conditions expected within 24 hours - was in effect for Antigua, Barbuda, Monteserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla, with a storm watch for Puerto Rico and nearby islands, the NWS said at 8:00 a.m. EDT (noon GMT). Danny, which was the first hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic season, will be near or over parts of the Leeward islands late on Sunday or early Monday, and is expected to weaken to a tropical depression in 36-48 hours as it passes near or south of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, the NWS said. (Reporting by Fiona Ortiz in Chicago; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)