Hurricane Jerry has strengthened to a Category 2 storm and is heading north of the Leeward Islands

Jerry, which was churning 290 miles east of the northern portion of the Leeward Islands early Friday, is expected to weaken throughout the day but will still remain a hurricane over the next couple of days, the center said. Its hurricane-force winds extended up to 25 miles while tropical storm-force winds could be felt 80 miles from the storm's center. Tropical storm watches are in effect for the islands of St. Maarten, St. Martin, St. Barthelemy, Saba and St. Eustatius. "Although the core of Jerry is expected to move north of the northern Leeward Islands, heavy rainfall and flash floods are possible there today," the center said.

Link to the article:https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/20/weather/hurricane-jerry-friday-wxc/index.html