Hurricane Irma leaves path of destruction across Caribbean
Freelance journalist Kelsey Nowakowski describes impact of Hurricane Irma as she rode out the category 5 storm in St. Thomas; issues warning for Florida residents who aren't evacuating
Already devastated by Hurricane Irma, Caribbean islands are now bracing for the back end of a deadly double-whammy, as powerful Hurricane Jose prepares to make landfall.
The unrelenting pummeling of the Caribbean was set to continue this weekend as Category 4 Jose -- which was nearing Category 5 status -- followed a similar path to Irma, the National Hurricane Center said.
According to the NHC's 2 a.m. ET Saturday advisory, Jose was roughly 240 miles east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands -- which Irma already hit earlier this week -- barreling in at 14 mph with 150 mph sustained winds.
A hurricane warning was in effect for the islands of Barbuda and Anguilla, Sint Maarten, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy.
A hurricane watch was in effect for Antigua and a tropical storm watch was in effect for Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis; the British Virgin Islands; and the islands of St. Thomas and St. John.
Katia downgraded
Meantime, Hurricane Katia made landfall shortly before 11 p.m. ET Friday north of Tecolutla on Mexico's Gulf Coast as a Category 1 storm, the Associated Press reported.
But by 1 a.m. ET Saturday it was downgraded to a tropical storm, with sustained winds of 45 mph.
Still, rainfall from Katia could result in “life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, especially in areas of mountainous terrain," the National Hurricane Center said.
