Hurricane Irma is a ‘serious threat’ to the U.S., say meteorologists, as the Category 3 storm barrels towards the Caribbean
Meteorologists say Hurricane Irma poses a ‘serious threat’ to the U.S.
It’s still unclear what route the storm will take, or if it will even hit America
But it’s possible that it could make landfall in the Carolinas or in the Florida panhandle this weekend
If so, it would be a devastating second blow to the U.S., still grappling with the fallout of Hurricane Harvey in Texas
The Category 3 storm is expected to hit the Leeward Islands on Tuesday, and pick up speed as it sets its sights on the U.S.
Hurricane watches are in effect in Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Monserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, St Martin, Guadeloupe and the British Virgin Islands
By ASHLEY COLLMAN
DAILYMAIL.COM
4 September 2017
Hurricane Irma now poses a ‘serious threat’ to the U.S., meteorologists say, but the direction of the Category 3 storm is still unclear.
The storm currently poses the biggest threat to the northernmost Leeward Islands, where it’s supposed to hit Tuesday.
Hurricane watches were posted Sunday for Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Monserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, St Martin, Guadeloupe and the British Virgin Islands.
The US National Hurricane Center said the center of the storm could near that region late Tuesday and that islands farther north, including the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, should monitor the progress of the storm and be prepared for Irma possibly to head their direction.
Currently Irma is a Category three hurricane, but it’s expected to pick up intensity as it sets its eyes on the U.S., developing into a Category 4 hurricane with winds as fast as 130 to 156 miles per hour.
‘Irma is a serious threat for the Caribbean islands and United States,’ AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
It’s still unclear what path Irma will take as it inches closer to the U.S.
Right now, meteorologists believe there are about three paths the storm could take. It could move out into the Atlantic and completely bi-pass the U.S., it could hit the Carolinas or it could go south and graze Cuba before hitting the Gulf of Mexico, around the Florida panhandle.
‘This hurricane has the potential to be a major event for the East Coast. It also has the potential to significantly strain FEMA and other governmental resources occurring so quickly on the heels of Harvey,’ Evan Myers, Expert Senior Meteorologist and Chief Operating Officer said.
If it does hit the U.S., it won’t be until this weekend, but residents in the southern U.S. shouldn’t waste time getting an emergency plan together.
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