Danny becomes first hurricane of Atlantic season

Tropical Storm Danny was upgraded to a hurricane Thursday, the first of the Atlantic season, strengthening slightly as it barreled through the Caribbean, forecasters said.

The hurricane was expected to gain force over the next 24 hours "but a weakening trend is expected to begin after that," the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest update.

Danny was located 1,030 miles (1,655 kilometers) east of the Windward Islands in the Caribbean, with maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour, the forecasters said in a 2100 GMT bulletin.

Earlier in the day, the center announced the change in status from a tropical storm reporting that "Danny strengthens into the first hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season."

Danny remained far from land, and the NHC said there were no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Danny was traveling west-northwest at a speed of around 10 miles per hour, and was expected to continue along the same path into Saturday.

Experts said earlier this month that there was a 90 percent chance the 2015 hurricane season in the Atlantic would be less active than usual.

They said this may be due to the strong El Nino weather pattern that is unfolding this year.