Jose strengthens into dangerous Category 3 hurricane

Sept 7 (Reuters) - Jose strengthened on Thursday into a dangerous Category 3 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

The hurricane is about 590 miles east of the Lesser Antilles with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour, the NHC said in its latest advisory, adding some additional strengthening was possible during the next 24 to 36 hours.

Jose is heading for the Caribbean and models then show it veering to the north before Puerto Rico. Barbuda, which was devastated by Hurricane Irma this week, is under a hurricane watch, it added.

(Reporting by Nallur Sethuraman in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler)