No way, Jose! Other ’cane still threatens

DEPENDING ON the forecast, the next Atlantic hurricane could either swirl harmlessly in the ocean or circle back for another shot at Florida.

Hurricane Jose took a more northerly route than its predecessor Sunday, sparing such islands as Antigua and Barbuda, which was ravaged by Hurricane Irma.

St. Martin and St. Barts also escaped further damage from Jose, which reached Category 4 status at it veered north toward the mid-Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.

It was later downgraded to a Category 3 storm.

Sunday morning, Jose was packing sustained winds of 120 mph and was moving northwest at 16 mph.

Antigua, Barbuda’s sister island, and home to about 80,000 people, was spared the brunt of Hurricane Irma’s wrath. Many from Barbuda have been evacuated ahead of Jose.

At least 24 people were killed by Irma in the Caribbean, Reuters reported Sunday.

Forecasters warned that Jose could make a series of loops over the next week, and pose a threat again. It is likely to cause strong riptides in the New York area at week’s end, the Weather Channel reported.