Hurricane Katia has been upgraded to a major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. At this point Katia is traveling between the Dominican Republic / Bahamas and Burmuda. So for now there is no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

That doesn’t mean that it is having no affect on the DR though. I’ve had reports of the surf being heavy enough that it is best to avoid the beach in Las Terrenas. These heavy surf and rip currents are affecting the entire northern coast of the Dominican Republic meaning visitors of those areas should be very cautious when near the beaches, likely through Tuesday.

It’s expected that the biggest threat will come to Burmuda and the United States eastern coastline. Katia should remain far enough from Burmuda that she will only affect the east facing beaches causing life-threatening surf and rip currents over the next few days. Current predictions have Katia heading toward North Carolina and Virginia on the US coastline.

Katia is currently a cat three hurricane with hurricane force winds extending 60 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extending 205 miles from the center. Katia is traveling in a northwest direction at abour 12 mph. She is also expected to strengthen somewhat through Tuesday.