Hurricane Larry Expected to Strengthen into Major Hurricane Over Atlantic Ocean, but with No Clear Path

With much of the Northeast and Southeast reeling from the fury of Ida, another system quietly strengthened early Thursday into the fifth hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic season.

Hurricane Larry, packing maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, was expected to intensify into a major hurricane – Category 3 or stronger – within days, possibly by Friday night, forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center predicts that Larry’s winds will reach 140 mph over the weekend, which is Category 4 strength.

Larry was located 600 miles to the west of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands and was moving west at 17 mph on Thursday morning. That’s about 3,000 miles east of most locations on the East Coast of the U.S.

“Larry is larger and bit stronger,” the National Hurricane Center said. “Steady to rapid intensification is likely in the coming days.”

The storm was projected to remain over the open waters of the Atlantic for several more days, AccuWeather said, but it could eventually near Bermuda and possibly turn toward North America, although it was too early to know Larry’s exact path.

The system spent 24 hours as a tropical storm before becoming Hurricane Larry.

“Further strengthening, into major hurricane strength (sustained winds of 111 mph or greater), is predicted to occur this weekend or early next week,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Rob Miller said.

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SOURCE: USA TODAY, Susan Miller and Doyle Rice