Hurricane Tammy strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane late Friday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center, triggering fresh Hurricane Warnings for several of the northern Leeward Islands.
Both NOAA and Air Force Hurricane Hunters found evidence of a strengthening storm with peak winds now estimated at 75 mph – enough to upgrade Tammy from a tropical storm to a hurricane in a special 10 a.m. ET advisory from the NHC.
Weather conditions on the northern Leeward Islands were expected to head downhill as Friday progressed and Tammy approached, with gusty winds and tropical downpours starting later in the day and lasting into the weekend.
Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center has outlined another area in the southwestern Caribbean Sea for potential development.
Hurricane Tammy is about 165 miles east-southeast of Martinique and 240 miles southeast of Guadeloupe.
Maximum sustained winds have increased to around 75 mph with higher gusts, and the National Hurricane Center says Tammy will gradually strengthen as it approaches the Leeward Islands, prompting Hurricane Warnings and Watches for several of the northern Leeward Islands.
Guadeloupe, Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat and St. Kitts and Nevis are now under Hurricane Warnings.
What is the forecast for Hurricane Tammy?
Tammy is moving west at 8 mph, and it’s expected to stay heading west until Friday afternoon, when Tammy is expected to begin a gradual curve to the north that will last into the weekend.
