Irma reached a "catastrophic" level 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Severity Scale. And this monstrous storm is approaching the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico and Florida to unleash its stunning storms, which reach 185 miles per hour (296 km/h).
Hurricane Irma is located approximately 35 miles (55 km) southeast of St. Martin and approximately 145 miles (235 km) east of St. Croix. The hurricane is moving northwest at about 16 mph (26 kph). The National Hurricane Center forecast the storm, which still has maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, will move over parts of the Leeward Islands, then near the northern Virgin Islands before passing through Puerto Rico.
As a precaution, Florida Governor Rick Scott and Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello declared a state of emergency due to the threat of the coming storm.
And Irma is not alone, there are two other tropical storms nearby that also pose a threat to people: Tropical Storm Jose is swelling in the Atlantic, and Tropical Storm Katy is gaining strength in the southern Gulf of Mexico.
Irma's status was upgraded to a Category 5 hurricane, making Irma the strongest hurricane to ever make landfall in the Atlantic Ocean outside of the Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center. A Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale is defined as one with maximum sustained winds of 157 mph (253 km/h) or higher.
What to expect from the 2017 hurricane season?
The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins on June 1 and runs through November 30. In the Eastern Pacific, hurricane season begins on May 15 and ends on November 30. On both coasts, these storms typically peak between August and October. The Climate Prediction Center has predicted that this year's hurricane season will be more active, with 14 to 19 named hurricanes expected with sustained winds of at least 39 mph (62 kph) and two to five major hurricanes with sustained winds of at least 111 mph (178 km/h).
Meteorologists have been shocked by how quickly Hurricane Irma is strengthening, and they are already warning that if it hits the United States as a Category 5 storm, the destruction will be completely unprecedented, writes Michael Snyder of theeconomiccollapseblog.com. Of course, we are already dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and many experts are already telling us that the economic damage caused by this storm will easily surpass any other disaster in all of US history. But there is a very real possibility that Hurricane Irma could be even worse. Irma was already packing winds of 130 mph at 5 p.m. Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center. But it's still very early, and as you'll see below, the hurricane is expected to develop into a Category 5 storm next week with winds of 180 mph or more.
I think it's fitting that such a powerful storm has a very powerful name. In old German the name "Irma" actually means "goddess of war"...
Irma began forming Wednesday and has been intensifying faster than any storm we've seen in nearly 20 years...
Hurricane Irma formed early Wednesday in warm waters off the coast of West Africa - and it took just 30 hours for the system to intensify to Category 3, the fastest rate of intensification in nearly two decades. By midday Friday, the storm had also noticeably increased in size with a well-defined eye, a classic sign of a major hurricane.
While Irma does not pose an immediate threat to land, the outlook is ominous: In the Atlantic, Irma is expected to pass through some abnormally warm waters - a major source of fuel for storm systems. Irma will remain a hurricane for at least the next five days and, in a worst-case scenario, could eventually become one of the strongest hurricanes ever seen in the Atlantic, according to the official forecast from the National Hurricane Center.
So how powerful could Irma get?
According to The Weather Channel's Michael Ventris, Irma could easily become a "super typhoon" with "sustained wind speeds in excess of 180 mph"...
Veteran US forecaster Michael Ventris tweeted a track model and warned it looked like the storm could be a "super typhoon" with sustained speeds of more than 180mph.
He wrote: “These are the highest wind speed forecasts I have ever seen in my 10-year Atlantic hurricane forecasts.”
The scale we use now really never predicted such a severe storm. In fact, some of the meteorologists have suggested that we need to add a "Category 6" to describe the kind of "superstorm" that is now developing in the Atlantic.
Basically, the conditions are almost ideal for a "superstorm" to develop, and if Irma does so as it approaches the United States, the destruction it will cause could exceed the limits of what we have previously seen.
The main shots of the day - terrifying and at the same time fascinating - today come from the Caribbean islands. Hurricane Irma is raging there, which is already being called the most powerful and destructive in the Atlantic over the past few decades. His power is so colossal that with his first blow he wiped out an entire country. Authorities in Antigua and Barbuda, a small island nation, said Irma destroyed more than 90 percent of homes, buildings and structures. That is, practically everything that happened. What remained of the paradise islands were bare beaches and rocks. And this is only the first victim of the hurricane - now it is moving towards America.
The famous beaches of Sarsota - very close to Miami - are now empty. Usually there are hundreds of tourists, including from Russia, and quite a few locals, but today Americans are so frightened by the impending monster hurricane and the helplessness of the authorities that they hastily throw documents, a couple of jackets, some canned food, and all the water into the car. They managed to buy it and are running from here to a safe area. “Irma” is getting stronger every hour, with “Jose” and “Katya” on her heels.
Irmageddon - this deadly cyclone deservedly received such a gloomy name - a giant funnel, larger in diameter than the whole of Florida, is ready to swallow the state itself.
Now Twitter is filled with panic messages: there is no hope for the so-called professionals - American rescuers. Social media users are horrified to remember the warning system that killed people during Hurricane Harvey. The authorities then could not decide for a long time whether it was worth declaring an evacuation at all. As a result, residents had to get out themselves. And now the situation is close to disaster. There are battles over drinking water.
The supermarket shelves are already empty, there are no basic products: bread, milk... The last crumbs are being taken away by seagulls.
American retailers turned out to be no less agile. Prices for water, food and batteries are raised several times! Air tickets somehow magically increased in price by six times in a matter of hours.
It is now not only impossible to fly away from the disaster zone, but also impossible to leave. There are huge queues at gas stations. There is a catastrophic shortage of gasoline. And the authorities do not have the courage to admit: preparations for a natural disaster have failed again. The general degree of panic is now so extreme that some Americans are committing acts on the verge of madness. Like a woman washing her car in the pouring rain.
Irma left no stone unturned in Barbuda. 95 percent of residential buildings there were destroyed. A state of emergency has been declared on the French part of the island of Saint-Martin.
In the Dominican Republic, the paradise beaches now resemble one big swamp.
The worst hurricane on record in the Caribbean will make Katrina, which destroyed New Orleans, seem like a breeze. Irma will affect 50 million people! And this is not a figure of speech - a real forecast by meteorologists.
Tropical Cyclone Irma gained strength and became a hurricane. Now it is moving towards the coast and could hit the mainland. We've compiled everything we know about this hurricane.
What is Irma like?
Tropical Cyclone Irma gained strength and became a hurricane. At the moment it is moving towards the mainland. It is a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 115 mph and an unpredictable trajectory.
Where is the hurricane?
Irma is 885 miles east of the Leeward Islands and moving at 14 mph, according to data from the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Bahamas on Thursday. Experts also say that the hurricane will reach the Caribbean islands and by this time will reach category four.
Where will the main blow fall?
The path along which a hurricane moves is impossible to predict accurately. That's why analysts say that when Irma makes landfall, it could hit any region between Florida and Nova Scotia, Canada. There is also a possibility of a favorable development of events when Irma remains in the ocean and does not reach the mainland.
How to prepare for a hurricane?
Residents in coastal areas across the United States should stay tuned for hurricane updates. It's also a good idea to prepare an emergency disaster kit just in case.
This set includes:
- At least three days' supply of water (minimum one gallon per day for each person and animal)
- Three-day supply of products with a long shelf life
- A portable radio to listen to hurricane information,
- Flashlight and spare batteries
- First aid kit
- Can key
- Prescription drugs
- Money
- Documentation
The most up-to-date information about the hurricane is published on the website
07 September 2017, 14:32Hurricane Irma has been raging in the Atlantic Ocean for several days. Correspondents collected photos and videos from the disaster zone.
The day before, Irma passed through the Caribbean islands and headed to Florida. The hurricane in the Caribbean region intensified to a dangerous fifth category on September 6, RIA Novosti reports.
Photo by REUTERS
"Rain and gale force winds of nearly 300 kilometers per hour left a trail of chaos, debris and flooding from Barbuda to Puerto Rico before heading west to the islands and then to Florida," the newspaper writes. New York Times.
The storm affected Puerto Rico quite strongly - the center of the hurricane was 50 miles from the island. As a result, about 600 thousand people in the region were left without electricity, another 500 people without water. Part of the French overseas territories and the island of Barbuda, which also found themselves in the path of the hurricane, were practically destroyed.
“Flooded streets, overturned boats, blown off roofs,” the Figaro newspaper describes the situation in the French territories of Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin, where eight people have already become victims of the disaster.
As the hurricane approaches, authorities in Florida in the United States issued an evacuation order for several counties.
Cuba is also preparing for Irma's arrival, expected to take place on Friday evening. Authorities do not rule out that Irma will be more powerful than Hurricane Ivan in 2004, which led to the evacuation of two million people.
Photo by REUTERS
On September 7, authorities in the Dominican Republic announced mandatory evacuations in areas where the highest "red" alert level was declared due to Hurricane Irma, the Acento news site reported.
It is reported that the “red” alert level was declared in 17 provinces of the country, while the “yellow” alert level was introduced in another 12. Local authorities reported that they had prepared more than 3.2 thousand equipped shelters that could accommodate about 900 thousand people. Also, for security reasons, local authorities began to transport prisoners from a prison located in the village of Rafei in the north of the country.
Hurricane Irma reached Category 5 on Wednesday and is being called the most powerful hurricane to hit the Atlantic in at least a decade. Experts believe it is stronger than Hurricane Harvey, which hit the Texas coast in late August and led to catastrophic flooding.
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