Bonnie strengthens back to tropical depression off North Carolina

(Reuters) – Bonnie, the first tropical storm to reach the United States this year, has restrengthened into a tropical depression after weakening earlier this week, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Thursday.

Tropical Depression Bonnie was located about 40 miles (65 km) east-northeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on Thursday afternoon, the Miami-based weather forecaster said. Winds fueled by the storm system were gusting around 35 miles per hour (55 kph).

The center of Bonnie was expected to move away from the coast of North Carolina on Thursday night. The system is likely to dissipate back into a post-tropical low late on Friday or Saturday, the NHC added.

Coastal flooding could affect parts of North Carolina, including the Outer Banks region, forecasters said. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect.

(Reporting by Nithin Prasad and Harshith Aranya in Bengaluru and Letitia Stein in Tampa, Fla.; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Peter Cooney)