Tropical Storm Irma is Coming

Hurricane Harvey is still wreaking havoc along the Gulf of Mexico shores, even after having been downgraded to a tropical storm, and it seems there won’t be much of a break, even after this storm has dissipated. The National Hurricane Center is already issuing warnings for the world to be on the lookout for Tropical Storm Irma, even though it’s too early to predict its eventual course.

Tropical Storm Irma Is Coming

The National Hurricane Center is reporting that Irma is forming over the Atlantic Ocean and, although it poses no threat to land masses at this time, the center admits it’s still early in the storm’s formation. The NHC recorded winds of 60 MPH at 5:00 pm today and, at that time, Tropical Storm Irma was 2,000 miles east of the Leeward Islands and around 3,000 miles southeast of Miami.
Traveling at 13 MPH, Irma was reported as having a western trajectory, though that path may change before it reaches full strength. Forecasts predict that Irma will reach hurricane strength by late Thursday or early Friday, when its wind speed will exceed the required 74 MPH to qualify as an upgraded hurricane.

Irma Won’t Arrive For a Week

Additionally, the National Hurricane Center reports that Tropical Storm Irma will take a week to travel across the Atlantic Ocean, giving south and east cost states time to prepare for the possibility of a land touchdown. WeatherBell meteorologist Ryan Maue warns that Irma will be a category 4 or 5 level hurricane by the time it crosses the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands. In a category 4 storm, winds meet or exceed 130 miles per hour.

“It is way too soon to say with certainty where and if this system will impact the U.S.,” AccuWeather hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski says.

In addition to the Leeward Islands, possible landfall targets are Bermuda, North Carolina, and South Carolina.