Speed Reads
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.