Danny upgraded to season's first hurricane

Tropical Storm Danny has grown into the first Atlantic hurricane of the year, according to the National Hurricane Center.

In an advisory released Thursday morning, the NHC called Hurricane Danny a “small tropical cyclone.” It said that maximum sustained winds had grown to nearly 75 mph, with higher gusts.

“Some additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours,” said NHC.

The storm was about 1,090 miles east of the Caribbean Sea’s Windward Islands when it was designated a hurricane.

“Danny’s compact size makes it subject to significant fluctuations in strength, both up and down, and such fluctuations are notoriously difficult to forecast,” said NHC.