Earl is a Category 1 Hurricane in Atlantic

Weather observers Earl has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it barrels toward several islands in the eastern Caribbean.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Danielle was bringing dangerous rip currents to the U.S. East Coast.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Earl could make landfall over the Northern Leeward Islands as soon as Sunday night.

Forecasters warn Hurricane Earl could bring battering waves and storm surge reaching up to 3 feet above normal tide levels in some areas. Hurricane warnings and watches had been issued for several islands.

Earl was 365 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands and had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.

Hurricane Danielle once had been a major Category 4 storm but weakened to Category 1 while about 440 miles east of Bermuda. Its top sustained winds fell to 90 mph as it moved northeast past the British island territory of Bermuda and farther from from the U.S. East Coast.

Danielle was expected to weaken gradually in the next two days and lose its tropical characteristics by Monday night.

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