Hurricane Earl has strengthened to a Category 2 storm and forecasters are predicting it will become a major category 3 or 4 hurricane within the next 24 hours – and it’s heading for populated tropical islands.

Tonight (early Monday morning local time) the storm is passing close to the Leeward Islands, which is the home to Puerto Rico, a nation home to 4 million people.

The Virgin Islands are also being affected by the storm tonight.

Live rain radar images – which in this part of the world are freely available every 15 minutes – now show the outer bands moving in to the Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands are.

Click the image below to view the animation…

Latest Satellite image – Weather.com

Latest information…

…CENTER OF EARL PASSING NORTH OF BARBUDA…RAINBANDS APPROACHING
THE VIRGIN ISLANDS…

SUMMARY OF 200 AM AST…0600 UTC…INFORMATION
———————————————-
LOCATION…18.1N 61.8W
ABOUT 35 MI…55 KM N OF BARBUDA
ABOUT 85 MI…135 KM E OF ST. MARTIN
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…100 MPH…160 KM/HR
PRESENT MOVEMENT…WNW OR 285 DEGREES AT 15 MPH…24 KM/HR
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…969 MB…28.61 INCHES

WATCHES AND WARNINGS
——————–

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR…
* ANTIGUA…BARBUDA…MONTSERRAT…ST. KITTS…NEVIS…AND ANGUILLA
* SAINT MARTIN AND SAINT BARTHELEMY
* ST. MAARTEN…SABA…AND ST. EUSTATIUS
* BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR…
* U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
* PUERTO RICO INCLUDING THE ISLANDS OF CULEBRA AND VIEQUES

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR…
* U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
* PUERTO RICO INCLUDING THE ISLANDS OF CULEBRA AND VIEQUES

HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE HURRICANE WARNING
AREA…IN THIS CASE WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS
TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED.

HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA…IN THIS
CASE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
——————————
AT 200 AM AST…0600 UTC…THE CENTER OF HURRICANE EARL WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 18.1 NORTH…LONGITUDE 61.8 WEST. EARL IS MOVING
TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 15 MPH…24 KM/HR…AND THIS GENERAL
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO. A TURN
TOWARD THE NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED BY EARLY TUESDAY. ON THE FORECAST
TRACK…THE CENTER OF EARL WILL PASS NEAR OR OVER THE NORTHERNMOST
LEEWARD ISLANDS EARLY MONDAY…AND NEAR THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
BY LATE MONDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 100 MPH…160 KM/HR…WITH
HIGHER GUSTS. EARL IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON WIND SCALE. FURTHER STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST…AND
EARL IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE BY LATE MONDAY.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 50 MILES…85 KM…FROM
THE CENTER…AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175
MILES…280 KM.

THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY AN AIR FORCE RESERVE
HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT WAS 969 MB…28.61 INCHES.

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
———————-
WIND…TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE SPREADING INTO PORTIONS OF THE
HURRICANE WARNING AREA…AND HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO
SPREAD INTO THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA ON MONDAY. TROPICAL STORM
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD OVER THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND
PUERTO RICO ON MONDAY…WITH HURRICANE CONDITIONS POSSIBLE MONDAY
NIGHT.

STORM SURGE…STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 2 TO
4 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL PRIMARILY NEAR THE COAST IN AREAS OF
ONSHORE WIND WITHIN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA…AND 1 TO 3 FEET IN
THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING AREA. THE SURGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY
LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES.

RAINFALL…EARL IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS
OF 3 TO 5 INCHES OVER MUCH OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS…WITH
POSSIBLE ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 8 INCHES. RAIN ACCUMULATIONS
OF 4 TO 6 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER PUERTO RICO…WITH ISOLATED
MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 12 INCHES POSSIBLE OVER HIGHER ELEVATIONS. THESE
RAINS COULD CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUDSLIDES.