The danger posed to Tampa Bay is mounting as Hurricane Irma approaches from the south on Sunday, leading one forecaster to say “the threat is as big as it gets.”
Hurricane Irma, downgraded to a Category 3 storm by the National Hurricane Center’s latest reckoning, brings the threat of maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour, “life-threatening” storm surge, and double digit rainfall in some areas.
The track of the center of the storm has shifted mainly to the west over the past couple days, a stark contrast to the forecasts late last week which predicted Irma would stick to the east coast.
Over the next several hours, the eye of the storm, around which is typically the most dangerous part of a hurricane, will make its way towards Tampa.
The eyewall, with strongest wind, & surge potential with #IRMA close to Naples/Marco Island. Coastal #Lee & #Charlotte cntys are next. #flwx pic.twitter.com/RZpnuKJpnu
— NWS Tampa Bay (@NWSTampaBay) September 10, 2017
Tampa’s mayor, Bob Buckhorn, warned Sunday morning that his city is “about to get punched in the face.”
“We know we are ground zero for this storm. We have avoided it for 90 years but our time has come to be ready,” he tweeted. “The gravity of the situation not quite captured here. The threat is as big as it gets for Tampa Bay.” Buckhorn has announced a 6 p.m. curfew for the city.
But Buckhorn’s “ground zero” warning undersells the potential danger said CBS4 Miami Chief Meteorologist Craig Setzer.
“The gravity of the situation not quite captured here. The threat is as big as it gets for Tampa Bay,” he said.
The gravity of the situation not quite captured here. The threat is as big as it gets for Tampa Bay. https://t.co/nDwRCT8zOV
— Craig Setzer CBS4 (@CraigSetzer) September 10, 2017
The Tampa Bay Metropolitan area is home to about 3 million people. Evacuations along the Florida west coast have been ordered and officials have been scrambling to fit as many people as possible in shelters.
Video shared by NBC News shows water being drawn hundreds of feet out from the Tampa Bay shoreline. That water will surge back as the storm moves north.
WATCH: Hurricane #Irma has drawn water 100s of feet out from the Tampa Bay shoreline — but will surge back as the storm moves north today. pic.twitter.com/D9rFBl4xEz
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) September 10, 2017
“This water is going to come in like a tsunami! Get out of Tampa Bay!!”, warned Weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Belles.
The NHC, predicts between 5 to 8 feet of storm surge for Tampa Bay. The advisory says of the threat: “The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.”
At least three people in Florida have died in connection to Irma, including a sheriff’s deputy, according to ABC News.
