Miami (CNN) -- The storm named Katia has become a hurricane again in the Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center said Friday. It had briefly weakened into a tropical storm but has since regained strength, the center said.
As of 5 p.m. ET, Katia was roughly 630 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands. Its maximum sustained winds were 75 mph -- near the minimum level required to be classified as a hurricane.
Katia was moving in a northwest direction at about 12 mph. It is expected to strengthen over the weekend, the center said.
Potentially dangerous swells created by Katia are forecast to begin affecting the Caribbean by late Friday, the center noted. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect in connection with the storm.
