Hurricane Danny intensified quickly and a NOAA plane investigating it on Friday afternoon found that Danny had maximum sustained winds of 115 m.p.h.  That made Danny a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale which also made it a Major Hurricane.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the center of Hurricane Danny was located at latitude 14.5°N and longitude 49.1°W which put it about 860 miles (1390 km) east of the Leeward Islands and about 2140 miles (3450 km) east-southeast of Miami, Florida.  Danny was moving toward the west-northwest at 10 m.p.h. (16 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 115 m.p.h. (165 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 135 m.p.h. (195 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 974 mb.  Danny had a Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) of 20.6, a Hurricane Size Index (HSI) of 6.0, and a Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) of 26.6

Danny remains a very small hurricane.  It is about two thirds of the size that Hurricane Charley was when it hit southwest Florida in 2004.  Danny may be starting to weaken.  The small eye is no longer visible on satellite images.  Southwesterly winds in the upper levels may be generating some vertical wind shear and those winds may also be inhibiting upper level divergence on the western side of Danny.  The small size of Danny means that it could weaken almost as fast as it intensified, if the shear increases.  Danny will move over warmer water when it passes west of longitude 55°W, which could slow the rate of weakening in about 36 hours.

Danny is being steered toward the west-northwest by a subtropical ridge located north of the hurricane.  The ridge is expected to strengthen in two or three days and steer Danny more toward the west after that time.  On its anticipated track Danny could be approaching the northern Leeward Islands in about two and a half days and it could be near Puerto Rico in about three and a half days.