Data from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft investigating Sally indicates that the system has rapidly strengthened to a hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of around 85 mph (140 km/h) with higher gusts.

This puts the storm at a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

“A Special Advisory will be issued shortly to update the intensity forecast for Sally,” wrote the National Weather Service. “We will be updating our graphics and sending them out as soon as possible.”