MIAMI (AP) - Hurricane Gordon was downgraded to a Category 2 storm and tropical storm Helene strengthened Friday as both storms in the open Atlantic did not immediately threaten land, forecasters said. Gordon's top sustained winds were near 160 km/h, down 16 km/h from earlier in the day and eight km/h away from being lowered to a Category 1 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center. More weakening was expected over the next day, said Jamie Rhome, a hurricane specialist. Helene had top sustained winds near 96 km/h, up from 72 km/h earlier in the day, and could become a hurricane, forecasters said. It was centred about 2,180 kilometres east of the Leeward Islands and moving west-northwest near 21 km/h. It is not an immediate threat to land, and forecasts predicted it would be well east of Bermuda in five days. The Atlantic hurricane season began June 1 and ends Nov. 30. The National Hurricane Center's latest forecast for the season expects between seven and nine hurricanes, a slight reduction from earlier predictions. Federal scientists said this week that the season has not been as busy because weak El Nino conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific. El Nino means higher ocean temperatures that inhibit hurricanes by increasing crosswinds over the Caribbean. This vertical wind shear can rip storms apart or even stop them from forming. But National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists warned that the El Nino impacts on hurricanes have been small so far. And the season is still at its traditional peak, so residents should stay prepared, forecasters said.