Watching Hurricane Irma

I know everyone is wondering what our weather will be like throughout the next few days… Look for Hurricane Irma to shoot dry air ahead and the next couple of days to be sunny and hot. In fact, The National Weather Service of Miami is suggesting that a heat advisory may be required for South Florida on Thursday. Feels-like temperatures will range between 105-110 degrees for a few consecutive hours. After Friday afternoon, conditions will start to worsen.

The forecast is calling for an increasing threat for South Florida to experience tropical storm force winds 39+ mph late Friday through Monday. That is our window of greatest concern. Over the weekend, the winds could be near hurricane force 74+ mph as Irma will be moving over or near South Florida. Wave heights along the coast will range 6-9 feet with rainfall accumulations anywhere between 5-10 inches. Locally higher amounts possible. Keep in mind that Irma will not produce the amount of rain Harvey did in Texas because it will be moving faster, but flooding still possible. However, the timing and magnitude of our impacts will depend on the path that Irma will take. Advisories will likely be issued for portions of South Florida today or tomorrow. Therefore, now is the time to review your plans, get your supplies and know if you are in an evacuation zone.

On the forecast track, the extremely dangerous center of Irma will move over portions of the northern Leeward Islands this morning, move near or over portions of the Virgin Islands later today, and pass near or just north of Puerto Rico this afternoon or tonight as a category 5 hurricane. By Sunday and Monday, it can be anywhere between the northwestern Bahamas, Florida and Cuba as a major hurricane.

Advisories:

Hurricane Warning-

• Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts, and Nevis. Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten
• Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy
• British Virgin Islands
• U.S. Virgin Islands
• Puerto Rico, Vieques, and Culebra
• Guadeloupe
• Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to the northern border with Haiti
• Southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands

  Hurricane Watch-

• Haiti from the northern border with the Dominican Republic to Le Mole St. Nicholas
• Turks and Caicos Islands. Southeastern Bahamas
• Cuba from Matanzas province eastward to Guantanamo province
• Central Bahamas.

Tropical Storm Warning-

• Dominican Republic from south of Cabo Engano westward to the southern border with Haiti.

Tropical Storm Watch-

• Haiti from south of Le Mole St. Nicholas to Port-Au-Prince.

Keep it tuned to your Storm Station, 7 News.

Vivian Gonzalez

Meteorologist, AMS Certified

WSVN Channel 7