Hurricanes Jose and Katia are right behind Irma: Here’s what you need to know

The United States and the Caribbean have been thrashed by two major storms over the past few weeks.

First, there was Hurricane Harvey, which flooded the city of Houston and split it into drowned and dry halves.

Then Hurricane Irma came, laid waste to the island of Barbuda, knocked out power to many in Puerto Rico and killed four people in the U.S. Virgin Islands alone. It will likely reach Florida by Sunday.

And the trouble isn’t over for this part of the world. Hurricanes Jose and Katia, which are Category 3 storms, are following close behind.

0:55 ‘We’re definitely not coping’: Barbuda evacuees react to Hurricane Irma devastation

• ‘We’re definitely not coping’: Barbuda evacuees react to Hurricane Irma devastation
• Navy helicopter evacuates residents from U.S. Virgin Islands
• Private charter boats evacuating Barbuda residents as Hurricane Jose approaches
• Hurricane Jose: Dramatic images from space show storm’s scale
• Video shows extent of severe Irma damage suffered by St. Martin
• Bahamas braces for Hurricane Irma’s force

Previous Video

Next Video

This marks the first time in seven years that three hurricanes have developed in the Atlantic Basin at the same time.

The last time there were three active hurricanes in the Atlantic was in 2010, CNN reported.

Back then, Hurricanes Igor, Julia and Karl — which share the same first letters as Irma, Jose and Katia — developed on a similar trajectory.

View image in full screen

Hurricane Jose reached Category 3 status on Thursday, after reaching Category 1 status one day prior, according to The Weather Network.

Meanwhile, Katia will likely reach Mexico late Friday or early Saturday as a Category 2 or 3 storm.

WATCH: Hurricane Irma leaves a trial of destruction in the Caribbean

1:08 Hurricane Irma leaves a trial of destruction in the Caribbean

Katia currently has winds of approximately 130 kph and was located about 335 kilometres east of Tampico, Mexico, reports the National Post. The Weather Network confirms that Katia could strengthen to a Category 2 storm just before landing in Mexico on Saturday.

Katia has “worrying characteristics” because it is moving very slowly and it could dump plenty of rain on areas that have been saturated with it in recent weeks, Luis Felipe Puente, head of Mexico’s national emergency services, told domestic television on Wednesday.

Hurricane warnings were issued from Cabo Rojo to Laguna Verde as rainfall from the storm is threatening to cause “life-threatening flash floods and mud slides, especially in areas of mountainous terrain,” the hurricane centre tells CNBC. 

Jose currently boasts winds of 120 miles per hour (193 km/h), and is reportedly moving west-northeast at a speed of approximately 30 km/h.

The National Hurricane Centre warned that the storm’s current path sees it likely impacting islands that were already ravaged by the Category 5 Hurricane Irma this week.

The hurricane is about 590 miles (955 km) east of the Lesser Antilles, the NHC said in its latest advisory, adding some additional strengthening was possible during the next 24 to 36 hours.

Hurricane watches have been issued for Antigua and Barbuda, where 90 per cent of structures have been destroyed by Irma. USA Today reported that “torrential rainfall” could produce “life-threatening flooding” across both islands by Saturday.

Tropical storm watches have been issued for the regions of Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saba and St. Eustatius, though these areas are less likely to be affected.

Hurricane Irma is being called one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century as it killed 14 people across the Caribbean islands before turning towards Florida.

The storm, whose winds reached 290 km/h at their peak, is approximately the size of France.

— With files from Reuters.