Hurricane Larry in the Caribbean has reached Category 3 strength with maximum sustained winds of approximately 185 km/h (115 mph), the US National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center warned on Friday.
The agency's latest advisory on the system indicates that Larry is about 3,041 km (1,890 miles) west of Cabo Verde and 1,980 km (1,230 miles) east of the Leeward Islands. The storm was traveling west-northwest at a pace of 26 km/h.
"Larry is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h), and this motion is expected to continue through late Saturday," forecasters wrote. "A motion toward the northwest at a slower forward speed is forecast to begin Sunday morning and continue through Tuesday."
At the moment, Larry is considered to be a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale but is forecasted to intensify into a Category 4 cyclone in the coming days. The system is anticipated to remain a major hurricane through the early part of next week.
According to meteorologists, after Labor Day, which is celebrated on September 6 this year, significant swells are expected to hit the east coast of the US. These swells are expected to result in dangerous surf and rip currents.
Forecasters have also stated that the odds of an above-average season are considerably better than originally expected. They added that the chance of near-normal activity is now at 35%, while the chance of below-normal activity has reduced to 20%.
The number of storms forecast has increased as well, with US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now predicting 10-17 named storms, as per Florida's local NBC affiliated WESH2 News. Five to nine of them are expected to develop into hurricanes.