Hurricane Irma continues to grow in size and strength. As of 5 pm, the center of the storm was less than 500 miles east of the Leeward Islands. There are several watches and warnings in place for the northern Lesser Antilles and more Caribbean islands will likely be added as necessary. The latest forecast track has Irma holding on as a major hurricane throughout the week. It has plenty of warm water ahead with limited wind shear (or interference). A general westward track is expected, although “wobbles” will most certainly take place. As Phil Ferro always says “hurricanes never track in a straight line”. It’s important that south Florida continues to monitor the latest forecasts for Irma. Later in the week, there’s a high chance that the powerful hurricane directly impacts the Bahamas. That may happen on Friday. Then, there’s still some uncertainty in the long range determining when a northward turn could happen. The majority of forecast models begin to turn Irma by the weekend. That could take the core of Irma near or directly into Florida. A direct strike can’t be ruled out, but at this point it’s at least likely we’ll see impacts to some degree including excessive wind and rain. Stay tuned to Channel 7 for the latest updates on Irma throughout the week.