ORLANDO, Fla. _ Hurricane Jerry retained its Category 2 strength Friday morning but is expected to weaken this weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center's 8 a.m. update.
Jerry is moving west-northwest at 16 mph with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph. It is about 155 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands and is expected to dump heavy rains over the islands as it passes them to the north later today.
The storm is expected to pass north of Puerto Rico, but then take a sharp turn to the north and threaten Bermuda by early next week.
A tropical storm watch remains in effect for St. Maarten, St. Martin, St. Bathelemy, Saba and St. Eustatius.
Jerry's hurricane-force winds can be felt 25 miles from the center of the storm, and its tropical-storm-force winds can be detected 80 miles from the center.
Meteorologists predict 1 to 3 inches of rainfall with isolated maximums of 4 to 6 inches, the NHC said.
Forecasters expect Jerry to weaken over the next several days but also expect it to retain its hurricane status. It's five-day track as of 5 a.m. takes it right over Bermuda, which dealt with the effects of Hurricane Humberto this week.
The NHC is also tracking several disturbances in the tropics.
The most recent development involves a disturbance predicted to move off the African coast this weekend. It has a 70% chance of becoming a tropical depression in the next five days.
A disturbance in the mid-Atlantic region has a 30% chance of developing into a depression in the next five days, and a 20% chance of doing so in the next 48 hours.
The last disturbance the NHC is watching is in the Caribbean Sea but upper level winds are keeping its odds of development low at 10% in the next two to five days.
