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A new tropical storm is forming behind Hurricane Irma and is expected to become a hurricane on Thursday, forecasters have warned.
Tropical storm Jose is the next potentially dangerous disaster of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season following in the wake of catastrophic hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
Top ranking category five Hurricane Irma is the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and made landfall in Barbuda on Wednesday morning UK time after barreling across the ocean with wind speed highs of 185 mph.
Irma is now expected to rip through the northern Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba before possibly heading to Florida over the weekend.
The sea is expected to rise up to a “life threatening” 20ft around some of the remote islands, bringing with it “large and destructive waves” and rainfall of up to 12 inches.
Hurricane Irma - In pictures
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But while all eyes are on Irma, on its trail is tropical storm Jose, the tenth named storm of the 2017 season which “continues to gradually strengthen”.
The National Hurricane Centre said it is too soon to know its path, but Jose could potentially hit the Leeward Islands which are already set to be battered by Irma.
Its winds are already up to 50mph and it is expected to be upgraded to a hurricane on Wednesday night Atlantic Standard Time or in the early hours of Thursday morning UK time.
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Also forming is the as yet unnamed "tropical depression 13" which could become a hurricane in a couple of days, the National Hurricane Centre said.
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The tropical depression – which happens when a group of thunderstorms come together - is heading east in the south west Gulf of Mexico.
2017’s Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from April to November, was predicted by many experts to be an above-average season in terms of activity.
Hurricane Harvey hits Texas in fiercest storm to smash US in a decade
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted this year’s season would see between 14 and 19 named storms including five to nine hurricanes and two to four major hurricanes.
Between June and November, the UK Met Office predicted 13 named storms and eight hurricanes.
So far this season has seen 10 named storms, four hurricanes and two major hurricanes. It suggests that if the predictions ring true, more storms could be on their way.
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Ahead of Irma reaching land, British holidaymakers in the Caribbean and Florida were warned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to follow the advice of local authorities and any evacuation orders, while on Tuesday British Airways laid on a special flight to bring 326 stranded Brits back from Antigua.
Authorities on the Leeward Islands cut power and urged residents to shelter indoors while officials warned people to seek protection from Irma's "onslaught" in a statement that closed with: "May God protect us all."
US President Donald Trump declared emergencies in Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, and authorities in the Bahamas said they would evacuate the residents of six islands at the southern end of the island chain.
Irma follows Hurricane Harvey, which caused devastation and mass flooding in Texas and parts of Louisiana after bringing heavy rainfall. Dozens of people were killed and more than one million people were displaced.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s guidance for Britons is to follow the advice of the local authorities and any evacuation orders.