Hurricane Jose has strengthened to a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, the National Hurricane Center said Thursday.

As of the National Hurricane Center's (NHC) 8 p.m. advisory, Jose was traveling west-northwest at a speed of 18 mph with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph and heading toward the northern Leeward Islands and should be expected there Saturday.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from Jose's center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115

miles.

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According to the National Hurricane Center, Jose is expected to produce 2 to 6 inches of rain in the Leeward Islands from Dominica to Anguilla. Ten inches of rain are possible in the northern Leeward Islands, from Antigua and Barbuda to Anguilla. The storm may cause additional life-threatening flooding.

Surf and rip current conditions generated by the storm will likely affect portions of the Leeward Islands by Saturday.

A hurricane watch has been issued for Antigua and Barbuda.

Hurricane Jose path

On Friday, Jose is expected to become a major hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center.

At this time, it remains unclear as to where Hurricane Jose will make landfall. U.S. National Hurricane Center

The path that Jose will take remains uncertain and forecasters have not specified where the storm will make landfall.

Jose formed on the heels of Hurricane Irma which has claimed at least 10 lives after pummeling the Caribbean islands.