Hurricane Omar, 16 Oct 2008

U.S. forecasters have discontinued all warnings for Hurricane Omar as the storm continues its path toward the open Atlantic Ocean.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center early Thursday said Omar has picked up speed, traveling on a northeastern path away from the Leeward Islands at 46 kilometers an hour.

Omar is still expected to produce up to 50 centimeters of rain in parts of the Leeward Islands, triggering life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.

While its wind speed has decreased to 185 kilometers an hour, the storm remains a dangerous Category Three on five-level scale that measures a hurricane's power and potential destructiveness.   

Forecasters say they expect the storm will continue to lose strength during the next 24 hours.