(WTXL) - The National Weather Service says that Hurricane Jose has been upgraded to a category 2 hurricane.
They say that Jose is developing an eye.
Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 105 mph (165 km/h) with higher gusts.
However, they say that Jose is likely not done gathering strength and is still forecast to become a major hurricane in about 24 hours. They say after about 48 hours, data indicates that Jose will begin to weaken, but it's unclear how much.
They report that Irma may affect Jose after it passes the Leeward Island.
The hurricane is still expected to continue west-northwestward, along the southern extent of the subtropical ridge.
Beyond that time, the global models suggest that an approaching mid-latitude trough will cause the ridge to retreat, causing Jose to turn more toward the northwest, and eventually toward the north.
NWS says that based on the latest model runs, this turn may happen a little later than previously expected.
Jose is expected to produce 2 to 6 inches of rain in the Leeward Islands from Dominica to Anguilla.
