Hurricane Fred continued to strengthen Wednesday, becoming the second major hurricane of the 2009 season. As of mid-day Wednesday, Fred has maximum sustained winds up to 120mph now, which makes it a Category Three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. Fred is in the far eastern Atlantic, and poses no threat to land.
Fred is unusual because of its strength and location. Hurricane Fred is only the third major hurricane on record located so far east in the Atlantic Basin (East of 35W), and it is the strongest hurricane on record this far south and east. The National Hurricane Center has reliable tropical observations back to the 1960s, upon which they base those statistics.
