Labor Day Weekend, Plus Hurricane Irma

Local Weather: Typical Summer pattern in the forecast for the long holiday weekend. It will be steamy and quiet along the coast with afternoon inland storms. By the middle of next week, we will introduce a better storm chance.

Tropical Update: While Harvey’s remnants continue to bring rains to the Ohio River Valley, we are tracking another major hurricane in the Atlantic by the name of Irma. As far as Irma is concerned, it is a dangerous hurricane in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean a few hundred miles west of the Cape Verde Islands. Irma is undergoing an eye-wall replacement cycle and fluctuating in strength. This tends to happen to major tropical engines and it is still forecast to remain a powerful hurricane for days. Right now, Irma is a category 2 hurricane with winds at 110 mph. On the forecast track, Irma is expected to move west and then be nudged by high pressure to the west-southwest on Saturday. By the middle of next week, it will likely encounter more favorable conditions to get stronger nearing the Lesser Antilles and curving slightly north. Beyond day 5, Irma’s next move is uncertain.

Scenario 1: High pressure stays in place and Irma moves more south.

Scenario 2: High pressure weakens and Irma moves more north.

Once Irma moves passed the islands, the next move will depend on the timing and strength of a front moving into the southeast United States. If moves fast enough, Irma moves more north and potentially curving away from the United States. If the front slows down, the Greater Antilles, Bahamas and even South Florida would have to worry. All we can do now is keep our guard up, have a plan and keep it tuned to your Storm Station for the latest.

Vivian Gonzalez

Meteorologist, AMS Certified

WSVN Channel 7