Hurricane Danny was barreling towards the Leeward Islands Saturday causing a tropical storm watch across a handful of popular Caribbean destinations, forecasters said. However, the storm is "expected to weaken below hurricane strength" late Sunday or early Monday before reaching the islands, the National Hurricane Center said.
The hurricane, which has been downgraded to a category one storm Friday, was located some 635 miles (1,020 kilometers) east of the Leeward Islands, moving northwest at approximately 12 miles per hour, NHC said in its 1800 GMT bulletin. Packing maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour, Danny was expected to increase in forward speed later Saturday or overnight.
The storm could produce two to four inches (five to 10 centimeters) of rain over the Leeward Islands through Monday. A tropical storm watch has been issued for Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, St Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, Saba, St Eustatius, St Maarten Guadeloupe, St Barthelemy and St Martin. The watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the next two days.