Tammy strengthened to the seventh hurricane of 2023 in the Atlantic on Friday morning as it neared the northern Leeward Islands.

Tammy was a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph as of 10 a.m. CDT Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Tammy will bring hurricane conditions to some of the Leeward Islands beginning tonight and lasting into Saturday.

Tammy is not expected to threaten the continental U.S. but could bring rain and gusty winds to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in the next few days. However, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were not under hurricane or tropical storm watches or warnings as of Friday.

The center of Hurricane Tammy was located 165 miles east-southeast of the island of Martinique on Friday and was tracking to the west-northwest at 7 mph.

The hurricane center said gradual strengthening is expected over the next few days.

A hurricane warning was in effect for Guadeloupe as well as the islands of Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis.

Hurricane watches were in effect for the islands of Anguilla, St. Maarten, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy.

In addition there were tropical storm warnings in effect for Dominica, Anguilla, St. Maarten, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy and Saba and St. Eustatius.

A tropical storm watch continued for Barbados and Martinique.

On the forecast track the center of Hurricane Tammy was expected to track near or over some of the Leeward Islands tonight and into Saturday and then move north of the northern Leeward Islands on Sunday.

The hurricane could bring 4 to 8 inches of rain with maximum amounts of 12 inches to parts of the Leeward Islands this weekend. The British and U.S. Virgin Islands into eastern Puerto Rico could get 1 to 2 inches with maximum amounts of 4 inches.

Tammy could also bring a 1 to 3-foot storm surge as it moves through the islands as well as large waves near the coast.

Tammy is forecast to turn more to the north and eventually to the northeast, a path that will take it east of the Bahamas and Bermuda and keep it well away from the continental U.S.

The hurricane center was not tracking any other potential storms in the Atlantic on Friday. The Atlantic hurricane season lasts until Nov. 30.