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Ingrid downgraded to tropical depression

11:42 AM EDT, September 15, 2007

Ingrid lost strength today and was downgraded from a tropical storm to a tropical depression as it moved through the open Atlantic.

The weak system was not expected to pose a threat to land, forecasters said.

At 11 a.m., Ingrid's center was about 510 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.

The storm was moving to the west-northwest near 10 mph and was expected to continue at that pace for the next 24 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center. Maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph with higher gusts.

Ingrid on Thursday became the ninth storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Hurricane specialists expect this year's season to be busier than average, with as many as 16 tropical storms, nine of them strengthening into hurricanes.

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