The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Gustav is close to becoming a hurricane once again.

Gustav's maximum sustained winds are now at 70 mph. Forecasters expect Gustav to strengthen to hurricane status Thursday. Category 1 hurricane status requires winds of 74 mph.

The forecast track for Gustav still puts it on a collision course with the Louisiana coast. People there are preparing for the possibility. Friday is the three year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall.

Wednesday's Story
The National Hurricane Center has reclassified Gustav as a tropical storm. However, forecasters don't expect it to stay that way.

Forecasters expect Gustav to strengthen to a strong category 3 hurricane in the next 72 hours.

The forecast track shows Gustav missing the east side of Cuba and all of Jamaica, before brushing the west side of Cuba Saturday. Gustav is then forecast to continue into the Gulf of Mexico.

Tuesday's Story
Forecasters say Hurricane Gustav has made landfall on Haiti's southwest peninsula.

The Category 1 hurricane roared over Haiti at about 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday with top sustained winds of near 90 mph. The storm is moving northwest at about 10 mph, and the center is located about 40 miles from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

The fast-forming storm is sending global oil prices soaring on fears it could become "extremely dangerous" as it approaches the Gulf of Mexico.

Long-term predictions show the storm affecting either Cuba or Jamaica later this week.

The hurricane comes after Tropical Storm Fay killed 23 people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic earlier this month.

Monday's Story

At 2:00 PM EDT Tropical Depression 7 has been upgraded to Tropical Storm Gustav. The seventh named storm of the year.

Reports from an Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that T.D. 7 has strengthened to become Tropical Storm Gustav... with maximum winds of 60 mph.

Hurricane Watches and Warnings will be issued for Hispaniola.