Tropical Storm Jose has reached hurricane strength, but the system is not a threat to Bermuda “at this time”, according to the Bermuda Weather Service.

The storm’s closest point of approach within the next 72 hours is expected to be 836 nautical miles south-southeast at 6pm on Saturday.

However the BWS warned the system could come closer after that time.

According to the US-based National Hurricane Centre, additional strengthening is expected, and Jose could be approaching major hurricane strength on Friday.

At 6pm, Jose was about 1,517 nautical miles southeast of Bermuda and was headed west-northwest at 16mph, boasting maximum sustained winds of 75mph with higher gusts.

According to the NHC, a slightly faster west to west-northwest motion is expected during the next two days.

Meanwhile, Category 5 Hurricane Irma — one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic — made landfall in Barbuda early this morning.

Packing winds of 185mph, the system battered the tiny island of about 2,000 people before moving towards Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin, where it destroyed major buildings and caused serious flooding.

Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba are also in Irma’s path and there is a possibility it will hit Florida over the weekend. A mandatory evacuation order was given for the Florida Keys.

The BWS said the storm is not considered a threat to Bermuda “at this time”. At 6pm today, its closest point of approach within 72 hours was said to be 758 nautical miles to the south-southwest at 2pm tomorrow. It may get closer after that point.

Hurricane Irma, which is so strong it is even showing up on seismometers for measuring earthquakes, follows in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which caused catastrophic flooding in Texas since it made landfall as a Category 4 storm on August 25.

Meteorologists are also tracking Hurricane Katia, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico and reached hurricane strength this afternoon.

According to the NHC, the system is moving towards the east-southeast near 3mph and should gradually turn southeastward during the next 24 hours.

On the forecast track, the centre of Katia is expected to remain offshore of Mexico through Friday morning. However, a Hurricane Watch is in effect for the state of Veracruz.