Humberto strengthens into 'major' Category 3 hurricane

Hurricane Humberto strengthened Friday in the Atlantic Ocean from a Category 1 to a "major" Category 3 storm over the course of a few hours, according to the National Weather Service.

Humberto is about 430 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and has recorded maximum wind gusts of 115 mph.

Forecasters predict the hurricane will strengthen over the next couple of days, but it is not expected to make landfall in the United States.

The storm is now considered a "major" hurricane, which refers to any storm that is Category 3, 4 or 5 due to the potential for "significant loss of life and damage," according to the National Hurricane Center.

Humberto is the third hurricane and the eighth named storm of the 2025 Atlantic season. One more storm system is brewing near the Carribean, which has been dubbed "Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine," for now. 

If the potential cyclone strengthens to a tropical storm it would be names Tropical Storm Imelda. It is currently projected to bring rain to the southeast United States next week, likely somewhere between Florida and South Carolina. 

This year's Atlantic hurricane season has gotten off to a slow start, but forecasters predict there will be 18 named storm systems by its end in November, according to the New York Times.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.