Hurricane Jose strengthened to a Category 3 storm on Thursday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest update at 5 p.m.
Currently, it’s about 590 miles east of the Lesser Antilles—a group of islands, which included the Virgin Islands, Saint Martin (which was devastated during Irma), Barbuda (also totally destroyed), and St. Barts (also damaged during Hurricane Irma).
Jose is now moving west-northwest at 18 mph. It has maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, making it a Category 3 system, the agency said.
A hurricane watch is in Antigua and Barbuda, and Jose could approach those islands Saturday morning.
It’s unclear, however, if Jose will take the same path as Irma.
Earlier on Thursday, Hurricane Jose was upgraded to a Category 2 storm. It was named as a hurricane Wednesday. On Tuesday, it was deemed a tropical storm.
The NHC’s model shows that Jose will take a more northern track and may not hit the United States. However, many of the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, and part of the Dominican Republic could be in the storm’s path.
