Miami (USA)
Hurricane Larry strengthens Friday as it moves across the Atlantic, and for now, its winds threaten the Lesser Antilles with dangerous surf this Sunday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The maximum sustained winds of Larry, which is forecast to reach a higher category, are near 150 kilometers per hour (90 miles) with stronger gusts.
The center of the hurricane was located at 11:00 EST (15:00 GMT) today 1,750 kilometers (1,090 miles) west of the southern tip of the Cape Verde Islands (Africa) and about 2,270 kilometers (1,410 miles) east of the Leeward Islands.
Larry is moving west-northwest at about 26 kilometers per hour (16 miles), and a turn to the northwest is expected early next week.
The NHC forecasts Larry to become a major hurricane over the next few days, that is, a category three or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale, out of a total of five, with winds over 178 kilometers per hour (111 miles).
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 kilometers (30 miles) from the center of the system and up to 240 kilometers (150 miles) at tropical storm force.
The Miami-based NHC forecasts that waves generated by Larry will reach the Lesser Antilles on Sunday and warned that it could cause dangerous and life-threatening rip currents.
According to the NHC, tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic Basin, last August was “above normal” in terms of the number of named storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes.
Six named storms formed in the Atlantic basin in the month ending Tuesday, with three of them becoming hurricanes and two of them becoming major hurricanes.