MIAMI — Hurricane Michael has strengthened to a Category 3 storm, the first one of the Atlantic hurricane season.
The hurricane is not an immediate threat to land.
Michael’s maximum sustained winds increased to 115 mph early Thursday.
Michael is centered about 1,020 miles west-southwest of the Azores and is moving northeast near 7 mph.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Leslie is drifting northward in the Atlantic and threatens Bermuda. Leslie’s maximum sustained winds are near 75 mph.
Leslie is centered about 440 miles south-southeast of Bermuda and is moving north near 1 mph.
Swells from Leslie have been affecting the US East Coast, as well as Bermuda, the northern Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents.