Earl could strengthen into a major hurricane as it approaches Bermuda late Thursday

America’s 5 deadliest hurricanes of the 21st century 1:08 (CNN) — Hurricane Earl continues to strengthen and could become a major hurricane by the end of the week, according to the National Hurricane Center, as it approaches Bermuda before pushing out to sea. Earl, which is the second hurricane this season in the Atlantic, has sustained winds of 137 kph, with higher gusts. Located about 400 miles south of Bermuda, the hurricane is moving north at 10 mph. It is expected to continue to strengthen into a Category 3 storm when it passes southeast of Bermuda on Thursday night. A hurricane watch is currently in effect for Bermuda and a tropical storm warning remains in effect for the island. A tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions are expected within 36 hours, while a hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible. “Although the center of Earl is forecast to pass southeast of Bermuda, the wind field is expected to grow, with tropical storm force winds spreading across the island beginning this Thursday afternoon and continuing through this Friday morning,” the hurricane center said. The storm is forecast to move northeast from there, moving away from any landmass. Earl became the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season on Friday of last week, forming 185 miles east of the Leeward Islands. The latest from Hurricane Danielle Danielle, which became the first of this season’s Atlantic hurricanes on Friday of last week, continues to churn offshore and “continues to produce a large area of ​​very rough seas over the north-central Atlantic.” the hurricane center said Wednesday morning. It is expected to weaken to a tropical storm on Thursday. They warn that Hurricane Kay will prolong the heat wave in California 0:56 When Danielle became a named storm on September 1, it was the first since July 3, which means that last month was the first August in 25 years without a single named storm in the Atlantic.
The last time the first hurricane of the season formed this late was on September 11, 2013, with Hurricane Humberto. Hurricane season in the Atlantic runs from June 1 to November 30. Covered areas include the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. CNN’s Theresa Waldrop, Aya Elamroussi, Jennifer Gray and Derek van Dam contributed to this report.