Tracking The Tropics: Hurricane Larry Gaining Strength In Central Atlantic, Could Be A Cat. 4 This Weekend

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - As of Friday morning, Hurricane Larry was a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 90 miles per hour.

Larry was located about 1,530 miles east of the Leeward Islands and moving west-northwest at 20 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center said that Larry is slowly strengthening and is forecast to become a major hurricane by Friday night.

Larry is expected to intensify into a Category 4 Hurricane this weekend as it moves west-northwest over the central Atlantic. Swells generated by Larry are expected to reach the Lesser Antilles on Sunday. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Elsewhere in the Tropics, the CBS4 Weather team is tracking a few other areas but there are no threats to South Florida at this time.

A trough of low pressure over the Gulf of Honduras and portions of Central America is producing disorganized shower and storm activity. The National Hurricane Center is giving this disturbance a low potential for development.

This system is expected to move west-northwestward across Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula, bringing heavy rains to that area during the next couple of days. The disturbance could then move over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico late this weekend, but unfavorable upper-level winds are likely to limit significant development while the system moves northwestward or northward over the western Gulf of Mexico early next week.

There is also an area of disturbed weather located about 100 miles south of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands. The system does not have a closed circulation. This disturbance is expected to move westward into an environment less conducive for development during the next couple of days, and the chances of formation appear to be decreasing.

This system could bring showers and gusty winds to portions of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands during the next several hours. The National Hurricane Center is giving this system a low chance of development over the next 2 to 5 days.