Category 5 Hurricane Irma Brings 175-MPH Winds To Bear On Caribbean Islands
September 5, 20178:19 AM ET
BILL CHAPPELL
Hurricane Irma's likely path through the Caribbean is shown on this NOAA map from Tuesday morning. The blue lines show the potential track toward the U.S. — not the outer edge of Irma's strong winds.
National Hurricane Center
"Hurricane Irma has intensified into an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane," the National Hurricane Center says, citing the latest data from NOAA and Air Force hurricane hunter aircraft.
With maximum sustained winds of 175 mph, Irma is a category 5 — the most serious type of major hurricane on the Saffir-Sampson wind scale. Over the next 12 hours, it's likely to get even stronger, at 180 mph, the U.S. hurricane agency says.
Storm preparations are being rushed to completion in the Leeward Islands, where the first tropical-storm force winds could arrive later Tuesday. Irma is currently forecast to hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday before continuing on toward the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
While it's still too early to say where Irma might have the most impact on the continental United States, the hurricane center says, "There is an increasing chance of seeing some impacts from Irma in the Florida Peninsula and the Florida Keys later this week and this weekend."
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http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/05/548606014/category-5-hurricane-irma-brings-175-mph-winds-to-bear-on-caribbean-islands
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