Miami, Florida - Hurricane Omar continued its course through the western Caribbean Thursday, after sweeping through the northern Leeward Islands late Wednesday.

The storm, a category-three, with maximum sustained winds of 205 kilometres per hour, is moving in a north-easterly direction, the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in Miami, Florida said, in its hurricane public advisory.

Tropical storm warnings for the US Virgin Islands, Vieques, Culebra, and the British Virgin Islands were discontinued as the storm moved away.

However tropical storm warnings remain in effect for the islands of St. Kitts and St. Nevis, St. Martin, St. Eustatius, St. Barthelemy, Anguilla, and for Antigua, Barbuda and Montserrat.

Residents there were warned to take measures to protect their lives and property as hurricane conditions were expected within the next 24 hours.

Omar is expected to produce total rainfall amounts of at least 13 centimetres, and cause coastal storm surges of up to 1.8 metres, the centre said. The centre warned that the rain could produce life- threatening flash floods.

Omar is the 15th named storm and the seventh hurricane this year in the Atlantic. (dpa)