After Hurricane Irma, Caribbean islands brace for Hurricane Jose
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.