Lenny strengthened overnight to become a hurricane according to National Hurricane Center reports. Hurricane and/or tropical storm watches may be required for the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands later today.
At 4 a.m. EST the center of Hurricane Lenny was located near latitude 15.4 north, longitude 77.1 west or about 175 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica.
Lenny is moving toward the east near 9 miles per hour and this motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours.
Reports from an Air Force Reserve hurricane-hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 100 mph with higher gusts. Some further strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours.
The Virgin Islands should pay attention to the threat of this late-season storm.