Hurricane Irma started hitting the Leeward Islands, the chain of islands separating the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean, early Wednesday.
By Sunday morning, the storm had caused severe damage in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, St. Martin, St. Barthelemy, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Cuba.
The Category 4 storm made landfall in the Florida Keys on Sunday and started heading up the state’s peninsula.
As of noon on Sunday, the Category 4 storm was battering the Florida Keys with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. The National Hurricane Center said the hurricane was cruising north toward Naples, Florida at 9 mph.
The NHC reports that Irma made landfall at Cudjoe Key, one of the lower Florida Keys, at 9:10 a.m. on Sunday.
“The threat of catastrophic storm surge flooding is highest along the southwest coast of Florida, where 10 to 15 feet of inundation above ground level is expected,” the NHC wrote on Saturday. “This is a life-threatening situation and everyone in these areas should immediately follow any evacuation instructions from local officials.”
The storm is expected to travel up the western side of the peninsula on Sunday night and Monday, then head for Georgia and Alabama on Tuesday. It could reach Tennessee by Wednesday.
Hurricane warnings are in effect around much of the Florida coast, from Fernandina Beach south around the peninsula to Indian Pass. The Florida Keys, Lake Okeechobee, Florida Bay, and parts of Cuba are also under hurricane warnings.
Storm-surge warnings are in effect from the South Santee River to Jupiter Inlet, from North Miami Beach south around the peninsula to the Ochlockonee River, as well as in the Florida Keys and Tampa Bay. Those areas could face “life-threatening inundation” from the quick rise in water caused by a hurricane’s strong winds.
A hurricane watch is in place along parts of Florida’s coasts, from north of Fernandina Beach to Edisto Beach.
Life-threatening winds
NOAA
While Hurricane Harvey brought devastating floods late last month, Irma’s biggest threat is its strong winds and storm surge.
Irma is now a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which measures a hurricane’s strength based on its wind speeds. The scale goes up to 5, but if it had been extended to classify Irma’s highest sustained wind speeds of 185 mph, the storm could have been considered Category 6 at one point, though that’s not an official designation.
The winds are churning up tornadoes, and many counties in Florida are under tornado warnings, as well.
Part of what makes this storm so dangerous is its sheer size — hurricane-force winds extend up to 80 miles from Irma’s center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 220 miles, according to the NHC.
Florida’s peninsula is only about 140 miles across at its widest, so Irma could engulf the entire state with its powerful winds.
Irma’s storm surge and wave height could be devastating.
The National Hurricane Center suggests that if Irma hits Florida at high tide, water levels there could rise 10 to 15 feet above ground from Cape Sable to Captiva, 6 to 10 feet from Captiva to Ana Maria Island, 5 to 10 feet in the Florida Keys, 5 to 8 feet in and around Tampa Bay, 3 to 5 feet from North Miami Beach to Card Sound Bridge, 4 to 6 feet on the east coast of Florida from South Santee River to Fernandina Beach, 4 to 6 feet on the west coast of the state from Clearwater Beach to Ochlockonee River, and 2 to 4 feet from Fernandina Beach to Jupiter Inlet.
Tweet Embed: https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/906541991563075586 *ALERT: There is imminent danger of life-threatening, CATASTROPHIC storm surge for SW #Florida. If ordered to evacuate, do so immediately!
The NHC expects between 10 and 20 inches of rain in the Florida Keys, with isolated areas getting up to 25. The southern Florida peninsula can expect 10 to 15 inches, with some totals reaching 20 inches of rain. Northern Florida into Georgia could get 8 to 12 inches, with some areas seeing up to 16 inches of rain.
Western Cuba could see an additional 3 to 6 inches, with some areas getting up to 10. The western Bahamas could get another 2 to 4 inches, up to 6 inches of rain.
Once Irma leaves Florida, South Carolina and western North Carolina could get 3 to 8 inches of rain, with isolated totals up to 12 inches, and eastern Alabama and southern Tennessee could see 2 to 5 inches.
The rains could cause “life-threatening” flash flooding and mudslides, the NHC says.
Threats to the US mainland
NOAA
The NHC is forecasting Irma will make landfall in Florida as a catastrophic hurricane on Sunday, and forecasters advise residents to heed the advice of local officials and get ready if they are in the projected path of the storm. As of Saturday morning, nearly 7 million people have been ordered to evacuate.
The Florida Keys and the southern tip of the state are the most likely to see the worst effects of the storm before Irma starts to weaken slowly after making landfall.
“There is a serious threat of significant storm surge flooding along the entire west coast of Florida and 15 feet of impact above ground level in southwest Florida,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott said at a news conference on Sunday.
Forecasters aren’t positive yet how Irma will move up the US mainland, though the models are indicating the storm could hit Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and parts of Missouri and Arkansas.
“Since Irma is a large hurricane, [forecast] users are reminded to not focus on the exact forecast track since tropical-storm and hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge extend far from the center,” Daniel Brown, a senior hurricane specialist at the NHC, wrote on Tuesday.
“Everyone in hurricane-prone areas should ensure that they have their hurricane plan in place.”
Although the eye of the storm is still 145 miles southeast of Key West, Irma’s tropical-storm-force winds extend nearly 200 miles in all directions, and many parts of southern Florida are already experiencing strong winds and rains from the storm’s outer bands.
NBC 6 South Florida is reporting that tropical-storm-level winds (classified as 39 mph and higher) are currently being felt in Key West and Miami. Reports of fallen trees and downed power lines are emerging. As of 12:45 pm ET Saturday, nearly 30,000 households had already lost power.
Wind speeds are expected to steadily increase throughout the day on Saturday, and the storm’s center is forecast to arrive in the Keys on Sunday morning, then travel up the west coast of the peninsula. Irma is expected to pick up intensity as it travels across the warm waters of the Gulf.
In addition to dangerous winds, much of southern Florida is anticipating a severe storm surge — the crest of water that forms ahead of a storm because of its powerful winds. Storm-surge warnings are in effect from the Volusia/Brevard County line south around the peninsula to the Suwanee River, as well as in the Florida Keys and Tampa Bay.
If Irma hits Florida at high tide, water levels there are expected to rise to 10 to 15 feet above ground from Cape Sable to Captiva.
“Millions of Floridians will see major hurricane impacts with deadly, deadly, deadly storm surge and life-threatening winds,” Gov. Rick Scott said Saturday morning. “15 feet of impact above ground level — think about that — 15 feet is devastating. It will cover your house.”
Mandatory curfews have been put into effect in several areas, including Broward County (4pm), Miami (7 pm), and Miami Beach (9pm).
]]>https://briefnews.eu/hurricane-irmas-winds-are-already-hitting-florida/feed/0Hurricane Irma’s Surge Poses Big Risk to Florida
https://briefnews.eu/hurricane-irmas-surge-poses-big-risk-to-florida/
https://briefnews.eu/hurricane-irmas-surge-poses-big-risk-to-florida/#respondSat, 09 Sep 2017 00:48:21 +0000http://briefnews.eu/hurricane-irmas-surge-poses-big-risk-to-florida/Hurricane Irma, the most powerful storm to take aim at Florida in decades, is on a path that presents the worst-case scenario for deadly storm surges and powerful winds when it strikes the state.
]]>https://briefnews.eu/hurricane-irmas-surge-poses-big-risk-to-florida/feed/0News wrap: Hurricane Irma’s path of destruction, the ‘Trump slump’ is real and more
https://briefnews.eu/news-wrap-hurricane-irmas-path-of-destruction-the-trump-slump-is-real-and-more/
https://briefnews.eu/news-wrap-hurricane-irmas-path-of-destruction-the-trump-slump-is-real-and-more/#respondFri, 08 Sep 2017 09:18:11 +0000http://briefnews.eu/news-wrap-hurricane-irmas-path-of-destruction-the-trump-slump-is-real-and-more/
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From Hurricane Irma hitting US shores, the possible location of the secret to happiness and the negative impact Donald Trump is having on US tourism, here’s your wrap of travel news that has people talking this week.
Hurricane Irma set for US landfall
Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 storm—and the most powerful ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean—has this week torn through Barbuda (where 95% of properties are reportedly destroyed), Antigua, Anguilla, St. Martin, St. Barts, the US and British Virgin Islands, and is set to hit Florida this weekend. Irma has led to at least 13 deaths and left thousands of people without homes. In Florida, it’s already causing travel disruptions and evacuations across the state.
Though the exact path of the hurricane is tricky to predict, at time of writing, it’s heading towards northern Cuba—having just raged through the Bahamas—and still has Florida in its sights. The Guardian is keeping track of the hurricane’s path, Condé Nast Traveler has detailed how the storm will affect travel plans,and The Washington Post has published a comprehensive explainer—including safety tips—for those who may find themselves in the path of the hurricane. “It cannot be overstated that Hurricane Irma is extremely dangerous,” reports WP.