FLORIDA, United States, Friday September 8, 2017 – Hurricane Jose has now reached Category 4 intensity and is continuing on a path that will take it near the northern Leeward Islands by tomorrow, affecting territories that have not yet completed their assessments from the damage done by Hurricane Irma earlier this week.

Jose is an extremely dangerous hurricane packing maximum sustained winds near 150 miles per hour.

At 11 a.m., it was about 415 miles east southeast of the northern Leeward Islands and moving west northwest at 18 miles per hour.

“A gradual turn toward the northwest with a decrease in forward speed is expected during the next 48 hours.  On the forecast track, the center of Jose will pass near or east of the northeastern Leeward Islands on Saturday,” the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in Miami said.

“Some fluctuations in intensity are possible for the next day or so, and gradual weakening is expected after that.”

Additional watches and warnings have been issued with Jose nearing the island chain.

Both a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning are in effect for Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, French and Dutch St Martin, and Saint Barthelemy.

A tropical storm watch is in place for Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Saba, St. Eustatius, the British Virgin Islands and St Thomas and St John in the US Virgin Islands.

Jose is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 3 to 5 inches in the Leeward Islands from Guadeloupe to Anguilla, with isolated maximum amounts of 8 inches. It is also expected to produce total rain accumulations of 1 to 3 inches over the Virgin Islands and Dominica.