Hurricane Irma Holds Steady at Category 3 Strength; Caribbean Urged to Be Prepared Just in Case

FLORIDA, United States, Friday September 1, 2017 – Hurricane Irma reached Category 3 strength late yesterday and continues to maintain maximum sustained winds near 110 miles per hour.

And while disaster officials in the Leeward Islands say it’s still not posing a threat at this time, they’re keeping a close eye on it.

At 5 a.m., Hurricane Irma, carrying maximum sustained winds near 115 miles per hour, was about 1,665 miles east of the Leeward Islands and moving towards the west northwest at 12 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in Miami said a turn toward the west is expected by tonight, followed by a turn toward the west-southwest tomorrow.

By 11 a.m., Irma was about 1,580 miles east of the Leeward Islands after barely picking up speed, moving at 13 miles per hour. It was moving in the same direction and maximum sustained winds had reduced slightly to 110 miles per hour.

“Fluctuations in strength, up or down, are possible during the next few days, but Irma is expected to remain a powerful hurricane throughout the weekend,” the NHC said in both advisories.

Residents of the Caribbean, particularly the Leeward Islands, have been advised to keep a close eye on Irma although there are uncertainties about where it will head.

Acting director at the Barbados Meteorological Services Sonia Nurse told the Nation newspaper that the hurricane was still a long while away and although the models were diverging, they did not bring the centre anywhere over the island.

“It would still be to our north east so we will continue to monitor the system. By tomorrow we will have a better idea of where the system is likely to go, but even then it would still be a long way from us,” she said.

Over in Antigua and Barbuda, director of the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) Philmore Mullin said residents should take every precaution as though the island will be impacted.

Irma will reach the area sometime early to mid next week. </s> MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – Hurricane Irma is now a Category 3 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds have increased to near 115 mph.

At 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 31, the center of Hurricane Irma was located 720 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands and 1780 miles east of the Leeward Islands.

Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 12 mph. Forecasters believe this general motion will continue through early Friday. The storm is expected to travel more westerly on Saturday and a west-southwestward turn by Sunday.

Irma is expected to remain a powerful hurricane for several days. It’s expected to be a category 4 hurricane east of the Leeward Islands next week.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 15 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles, according to the current advisory.

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating based on a hurricane’s sustained wind speed. The scale estimates potential property damage. Hurricanes reaching Category 3 and higher are considered major because of their potential for significant loss of life and damage.

Keep checking counton2.com for real-time updates on this story. To get breaking news alerts, download the free News 2 App for iPhone or Android. You can also sign up for email alerts. </s> Hurricane Irma's intensity continues to fluctuate and is back to Category 3 strength. Interests in the Leeward Islands should monitor the progress of Irma, according to the National Hurricane Center.

At 11 a.m. Hurricane Irma is moving toward the west-southwest near 14 mph and this course at a slightly slower forward speed is expected through tonight, the National Hurricane Center reports. A turn toward the west is forecast on Monday.

More: Irma strengthens into Category 2 hurricane in the Atlantic

More: Tropical Storm Irma forms in the Atlantic

More: Get the latest update at naplesnews.com/hurricane

Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, the National Hurricane Center reports.

Hurricane-force winds will extend outward up to 25 miles from the center and tropical storm-force winds will extend outward up to 80 miles.

There are currently no coastal watches or warnings in effect. </s> As the United States continues to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, another hurricane, Irma, formed in the Atlantic Thursday and quickly intensified to a major hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center advised late Thursday afternoon that Irma has become a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph.

The hurricane was moving toward the west-northwest at 12 mph and was about 720 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands, according to the NHC's 5 p.m. update.

NHC officials expect Hurricane Irma to continue with its current motion through Friday with a slight shift westward into Saturday.

Irma is expected to remain a powerful hurricane for several days but fluctuations in strength are possible.

Irma will be a growing concern for the Lesser Antilles over the next week with the rest of the Caribbean and Southeastern United States keeping a close eye on this storm. </s> By Faith Eherts, Meteorologist for AccuWeather.com

 AccuWeather Global Headquarters – September 1, 2017 – AccuWeather reports while the Gulf Coast continues to deal with the devastating impacts of Harvey, emergency managers in the United States have another tropical threat to monitor by the name of Irma.

Far across the Atlantic, west of the Cabo Verde Islands, Irma strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane Thursday afternoon. Irma became a tropical storm at midday on Wednesday.

“There is the potential for Irma to ramp up to an even more powerful hurricane this weekend,” according to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.

“While fluctuation in strength is likely, we expect Irma to become a Category 4 well before it reaches waters near the Lesser Antilles,” Kottlowski said.

Subtle changes in water temperatures and atmospheric conditions, such as slightly drier air and a small patch of strong winds aloft, can cause significant fluctuations in strength in even the strongest of hurricanes.

As of Friday midday, Irma was located about 1,580 miles (2,540 km) east of the Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (177 km/h).

Irma will take about a week to make its trek westward across the Atlantic Ocean. Meteorologists will likely be tracking this storm through the middle of September.

“All interests in the eastern Caribbean will need to monitor the progress of this evolving and dangerous hurricane,” Kottlowski said.

“Surf will begin to build on the east-facing beaches in the Leeward and Windward islands late this weekend into early next week, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

How much seas, surf and winds increase during the first part of next week will depend on the exact track of Irma.

“Steering winds will guide Irma close to the Leeward Islands and then perhaps Puerto Rico and Hispaniola during the middle days of next week,” according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Thompson.

“While the hurricane is strong, it is relatively small in size at this time,” Sosnowski said. “Should this small size continue, severe effects from the storm may be limited to a radius 50 miles (80 km) of the center, while the storm moves through the tropics.”

Locally heavy showers and gusty thunderstorms may extend beyond 100 miles (160 km) from the eye. Torrential rain and flooding will be a concern, if and where the eye wall approaches the islands.

Beyond early next week, there is a wide range as to where Irma may go and the storm may grow in size.

Plenty of atmospheric factors highlighted by non-tropical systems will come into play to determine its path. These non-tropical systems will be moving around.

“At this early stage, it is unclear whether a non-tropical storm will draw Irma toward the U.S., push it away or miss affecting it entirely prior to the middle of the month.,” Kottlowski said.

Possibilities range from a landfall from the northern Caribbean islands to Florida, the Carolinas or Bermuda. There is also a chance the system curves northward and avoids North America entirely or slides into the Gulf of Mexico.

“At some point next week, Irma will begin to take a more west-northwest path,” Kottlowski said. “Whether Irma then continues to curve northwestward and then northward or remains on a steady west-northwest path is uncertain.

More details on the path of Irma will follow in the coming days.

Residents who live along the East Coast or have interests in the Caribbean Sea should take time to review emergency procedures and make sure they are prepared for extreme tropical conditions.

Cruise and shipping interests may need to adjust their route as Irma approaches. </s> Miami: Hurricane Irma in the central Atlantic is expected to remain a "powerful hurricane" as it heads towards the Caribbean, US weather monitors said on Friday.

Irma, a Category 2 storm, formed just days after the first major hurricane of the Atlantic season, Harvey, unleashed massive rain and floods over Texas.

The hurricane is packing winds of 110 miles (175 kilometers) per hour, and is moving west at a speed of 13 miles per hour.

Irma is swirling in the mid-Atlantic some 1,580 miles east of the Leeward Islands, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said at 1500 GMT.

Its tropical storm-strength winds extend outward up to 90 miles, meaning these strong winds have already reached Puerto Rico and the Antilles Islands.

The storm reached powerful Category 3 status on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale Thursday when its winds were clocked at 115 miles per hour.

"Irma is forecast to remain a powerful hurricane for days," the NHC said, adding that strength fluctuations "are possible" over the weekend.

The hurricane's center is forecast to reach the Lesser Antilles islands on Tuesday.

South Florida meteorologist Craig Setzer said it was too early to tell if the storm would impact Florida or the Gulf of Mexico region.

Anxiety is running high over the risk of another storm in the southern United States after Harvey pounded the Texas coast, making landfall last week as a Category Four hurricane. </s> Hurricane Irma, a category 5 storm, is now among the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean, The Guardian reported on Wednesday. Some reports had said that the hurricane is so strong that it is showing up on devices used to measure earthquakes.

The Caribbean island Barbuda, which has a population of about 2,000, is expected to be the first to be hit by Irma. The US National Hurricane Center said Irma is “potentially catastrophic” and has urged that preparations to protect life and property should be sped up. Irma is expected to “bring life-threatening wind, storm surge, and rainfall hazards” to portions of the northern Leeward Islands, including the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Wednesday.

The storm is then forecast to travel through Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos by Friday. The Bahamas, Cuba and Florida are also likely to be affected. However, it is too soon to specify timing and magnitude of these impacts, the agency said.

At 11 pm Atlantic Standard Time on Tuesday, Irma was about 80 km from the Leeward Islands. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 295 kmph and was heading west northwest at 20 kmph.

Other storms in the region that were this strong, reaching speeds of 295 kmph or more, include Allen in 1980, Wilma in 2005, Gilbert in 1988 and a Florida Key storm in 1935.

Florida and Puerto Rico had declared an emergency on Monday, when Irma was still a category 4 storm. </s> The Latest on Hurricane Irma (all times local):

The National Hurricane Center says the eye of Irma is moving over the Camaguey Archipelago of Cuba as a Category 5 hurricane.

The center says Irma made landfall there late Friday and has maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (257 kph). The hurricane is about 275 miles (443 kilometers) from Miami and moving about 12 mph (19.3 kph) toward the west.

In the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Katia made landfall late Friday north of Tecolutla, Mexico and weakened to a tropical storm, with winds reaching 45 mph (72.4 kph).

In the Atlantic, Hurricane Jose is a Category 4 hurricane, about 240 miles (386 kilometers)east-southeast of the Northern Leeward Islands, moving roughly westward at 14 mph (23 kph)with winds reaching 150 mph.

A newly strengthened Irma is taking aim at south Florida with 160 mph (257 kph) winds after battering Cuba and leaving more than 20 dead across the Caribbean, as another hurricane follows close behind.

Irma regained Category 5 status late Friday. Thousands of people in the Caribbean fought desperately to find shelter or escape their storm-blasted islands, and more than 6 million people in Florida and Georgia were warned to leave their homes.

Many residents and tourists were left reeling after the storm ravaged some of the world's most exclusive tropical playgrounds, known for their turquoise waters and lush green vegetation. Among them: St. Martin, St. Barts, St. Thomas, Barbuda and Anguilla.

Irma threatened to push its way northward from one end of Florida to the other beginning Sunday morning. </s> As Hurricane Irma continues to approach Florida, the conditions across the area are deteriorating.

Molasses Reef recently reported sustained winds of 49 mph with gusts of up to 56 mph while Marathon had sustained winds of 41 mph with gusts up to 55 mph, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

The 5 p.m. advisory shows Hurricane Irma is slowly moving away from Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, according to the NHC.

The storm will reach the Keys by Sunday (Sept. 10) morning and is expected to move along or near the southwest coast of Florida Sunday afternoon.

Although the track of the storm has had a westward trend, South Florida residents cannot let their guard down, as hurricane-force winds can extend up to 70 miles from the center while tropical storm-force winds extend almost 200 miles away.
Hurricane Irma, now a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (175 kilometers per hour), is expected to resume strengthening this weekend increasing the danger when it nears the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean next Thursday.