Hurricane Jose strengthened to an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm Friday, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm was about 265 miles east-southeast of the Northern Leeward Islands at 8 p.m. ET Friday, moving west-northwest at 14 mph, the hurricane center said.
The coast isn’t exactly clear yet.
The eye of Irma passed over Barbuda, a tiny Caribbean island of about 1,800 residents, on Wednesday, destroying telecommunication systems and cell towers. The storm damaged about 95% of the buildings on the island, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said.
Before Jose’s slight weakening, the Atlantic had two hurricanes with winds of more than 150 mph at the same time for the first time on record, Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach said Friday.
A third storm, Katia, made landfall late Friday north of Tecolutla, Mexico, as a Category 1 hurricane but had weakened to a tropical depression by Saturday morning, the hurricane center said. It was to break up over eastern Mexico, with heavy rains still expected.
In addition, Hurricane Katia in the Gulf of Mexico made landfall in Mexico late Friday with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and, the National Hurricane Center said.