Hurricane Irma is on course to hit Florida head-on, from tip to top, in the latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center.
Still a Category 5 storm, Irma’s strength has diminished over the past 24 hours. The latest advisory from NHC at 2 a.m. Eastern Friday morning said Irma is maintaining sustained maximum wind speeds of 160 miles per hour, down from its record-breaking run at 185 mph. Irma is close to losing its Category 5 status. According to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which the NHC uses, a Category 5 storm has sustained winds of 157 mph or higher.
The NHC also issued its first official hurricane warnings for Florida late Thursday — in South Florida and the Florida Keys — as well as storm surge warnings which come with the “danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline.” Hurricane conditions are expected in South Florida and the Keys by late Saturday, according to the latest advisory.
While forecasts from NHC earlier in the day Thursday shifted the track of the storm east, prompting emergency declarations in South Carolina, the most recent forecast cones pit the storm rolling over almost the entirety of the state of Florida, more closely matching what the European model had predicted earlier in the day.
NEW: A #Hurricane and Storm Surge Warning has been issued for all of south #Florida & the Florida Keys. More: https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb #Irma pic.twitter.com/8Bsv4k8q98
— NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic) September 8, 2017
In the meantime, as the core of the hurricane moves between the north coast of Cuba and the Bahamas during the next day or two, the agency said that Irma “is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane,” though there may be some fluctuations.
Already 10 deaths have been tied to Irma, and there has been reports of widespread damage and power outages due to wind and rain in islands along its path, including Barbuda, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, and St. Martin.
Evacuations in the continental U.S. are already underway, possibly becoming one of the largest in history.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott didn’t mince words when he urged residents to flee while they still can. “Do not sit and wait for this storm to come,” he said. “Get out now.” There are already reports of traffic jams and jacked-up plane tickets as people try to get out of the storm’s path.
We’re running 12hr shifts here at the office, & we’ve hoisted the Hurricane Flags! #Hurricane Warning is in effect, Stay Safe! #Irma #FLKeys pic.twitter.com/kNd1LVnEpQ
— NWS Key West (@NWSKeyWest) September 8, 2017
The United Nations estimates that nearly 50 million people are threatened Hurricane Irma.
President Trump has approved emergency declarations for Florida, South Carolina, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Two other storms are brewing in the Atlantic; Katia, which is a Category 1 hurricane headed towards eastern Mexico; and Jose, a Category 3 hurricane further out in the Atlantic. The occasion of these storms marks the first time since 2010 that three active hurricanes have been in the Atlantic.
This trio of hurricanes follows Hurricane Harvey, which late last month devastated parts of Texas and Louisiana.
In addition to the hurricanes, a massive earthquake was detected south of Mexico early Friday morning, rattling buildings throughout Mexico and triggering a tsunami warning for the surrounding area.
