Another major hurricane is already brewing in the Atlantic

Hurricane Irma.
(Image credit: Courtesy National Hurricane Center/NOAA)

As Texas continues to reel from the devastating effects of Tropical Storm Harvey, another hurricane is brewing over the eastern Atlantic. On Thursday, the National Weather Service upgraded storm Irma to a Category 2 hurricane, with winds anticipated to near 100 miles per hour.

Irma could further intensify into a Category 3 hurricane by the end of the day, and it's expected to be a "an extremely dangerous hurricane for the next several days," an advisory statement warned.

It's too soon to tell if Irma will affect the U.S., but officials are closely monitoring the strengthening storm. Right now, Irma, the fourth hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, is located about 1,845 miles east of the West Indies' Leeward Islands.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More