As of Thursday night, Hurricane Lee has become a Category 5 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 160mph as it moves towards the Caribbean islands.

Antigua and Barbuda remains safe from hazardous winds.

The US National Hurricane Center has warned of life-threatening conditions in the coming days and the possibility of further strengthening overnight, which could make it one of the rarest hurricanes in the Atlantic.

Forecasters predict that Lee could become even stronger, with winds reaching 180mph by Friday morning.

However, it is expected to pass well to the north of the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico over the weekend and early next week.

The NHC has also cautioned that dangerous beach conditions will develop around the western Atlantic through early next week. This marks the 12th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from 1 June to 30 November.