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[Updating] In tweets: Irma, Jose and Katia now all Atlantic hurricanes
We just saw the last of Hurricane Harvey, a storm that broke US mainland rainfall records, finally dissipate over the northeastern portion of the US. But hot on its heels is its big, fierce sister, Hurricane Irma.
As of late Tuesday, Irma was a category 5 storm, packing sustained winds in excess of 280km/h. It became the strongest recorded storm to form in the Atlantic Basin, discounting the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. It’s currently the fifth strongest in recorded history in the entire Atlantic.
#Irma is only the 5th Atlantic basin hurricane with a peak wind speed of 185 mph or higher. pic.twitter.com/R3hZ2FG94b
— NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) September 5, 2017
But it doesn’t stop there.
5 September: Irma grows and strengthens
The storm is forecast to strike the Leeward Islands as early as tonight, with Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and possibly Miami in the coming days.
NASA also earlier captured the storm’s eye using its GOES16 satellite.
Get a good look at Hurricane #Irma‘s eye with this visible imagery from #GOES16! For the latest info on Irma, go to https://t.co/cSGOfrM0lG pic.twitter.com/q4Q5UtPlIP
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) September 5, 2017
While Florida is seemingly in its path, prediction models suggest that the storm could also turn into the Gulf, further affecting the likes of Texas and Louisiana.
If you’re in Irma’s path, this is a worst-case scenario. You’ve never experienced a hurricane like this. Stronger than Andrew or Katrina. pic.twitter.com/GXbhFqRgLm
— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) September 5, 2017
As for size, Hurricane Irma is about as large as the state of Ohio.
Overlaying an image of #Irma over the state of Texas to give you an idea of the size of the hurricane. pic.twitter.com/EmfBWHYbJ3
— Brian James (@BrianJamesNBC5) September 5, 2017
If that isn’t impressive, the ISS captured Irma’s size from space as it flew over the Atlantic earlier today.
WATCH: International Space Station passes over eye of Hurricane #Irma, now a Cat. 5 storm nearing the Caribbean: https://t.co/d5RN3W1Sio pic.twitter.com/JztQ6hF9Xw
— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 5, 2017
But Irma isn’t quite done.
The cyclone may strengthen further, and could top sustained winds in excess of 300km/h later this week, according to meteorologists.
Eye continues to warm now +20°C … if convection flares or clouds cool (more pink) then Hurricane #Irma should reach 200 mph. pic.twitter.com/yzJ5EFFTPt
— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) September 5, 2017
A few thousand kilometres east, there’s another storm forming in the Atlantic Basin too, dubbed Jose.
More bad news: We now have Tropical Storm #Jose in the Atlantic behind #Irma. Expected to become a hurricane in 36-48 hours. pic.twitter.com/pGP3gHLEcI
— Steven Shepard (@POLITICO_Steve) September 5, 2017
And yes, as of Tuesday evening, it seems that Irma is getting even stronger.
Hurricane #Irma‘s pressure continues to drop, now at sub-920 mb. This storm is still intensifying. pic.twitter.com/nF0uOzzlke
— Jackson Dill (@Jackson_Dill) September 5, 2017
6 September: Irma strikes Barbuda
Irma has now clattered into Barbuda, with sustained winds in excess of 290km/h. Charts on Twitter paint an impressive picture.
Barometric pressure at #Barbuda transitioned from typical small double diurnal variation to falling off cliff as #HurricaneIrma approaches pic.twitter.com/pDGmeXUrdx
— Stu Ostro (@StuOstro) September 6, 2017
Eye of “potentially catastrophic” hurricane Irma passed across Barbuda over the last hour. Anemometer broke after measuring a 155 mph gust. pic.twitter.com/2cG8gJHYJg
— NWS Sioux Falls (@NWSSiouxFalls) September 6, 2017
Check out the drop in wind speeds as the eye of Hurricane #Irma passes over island of #Barbuda. Winds go from 150mph to calm in just 6min! pic.twitter.com/h9DzUYdwxr
— Angie Lassman (@AngieNBC6) September 6, 2017
This incredible image shows the storm’s incredibly fierce winds to its north.
A scary look at Category 5 Hurricane #Irma as it passes over the island of Barbuda, using #GOES16 1-minute imagery pic.twitter.com/jMcWsMVnv4
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) September 6, 2017
Another image shows the storm’s massive eye move over St. Barth.
Les conditions les plus extrêmes atteignent #SaintMartin, île la plus peuplée du secteur (env 75000 habitants). #Irma pic.twitter.com/4XJV4aXL8S
— Keraunos (@KeraunosObs) September 6, 2017
St. Maarten felt the brunt of the storm’s eyewall earlier. A webcam on the island captured the fury before it was knocked out.
Irma broke another record on Wednesday, becoming the most intense hurricane (in terms of pressure) recorded outside the Gulf of Mexico and western Caribbean since the late 1960s.
#Irma‘s pressure of 916 mb is tied for 11th lowest for Atlantic hurricane in satellite era (since 1966). Table lists all TCs w/ <920 mb MSLP pic.twitter.com/GjdKmF7L4j
— Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) September 6, 2017
Around midday Tuesday, Tropical Storm Katia became the third named storm in the Atlantic, currently straddling Mexico’s eastern seaboard.
#TormentaTropical #KATIA y #Huracán #Irma en el Océano Atlántico pic.twitter.com/2tn991g8Mr
— CONAGUA Clima (@conagua_clima) September 6, 2017
The intense storm broke yet another record Wednesday, becoming the most intense hurricane in terms of “Accumulated Cyclone Energy generated in a 24-hr period,” meteorologist Philip Klotzbach reports.
#Irma has just set the Atlantic record for Accumulated Cyclone Energy generated in a 24-hr period, breaking old record set by Allen (1980). pic.twitter.com/E8wForI0o1
— Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) September 6, 2017
The impressive satellite imagery continued to trickle through Wednesday, after the sun rose over the storm.
Major hurricane #irma nears Puerto Rico. 1-min data from experimental GOES 16 satellite. Detailed eye view!! #utwx /2 pic.twitter.com/e1ZkNq3hiB
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) September 6, 2017
Late Wednesday evening, both Katia and Jose were upgraded to hurricanes, making it three in total currently spinning in the Atlantic Ocean.
THE TALE OF 3 HURRICANES! #Jose #Katia & #Irma all hurricanes now in the Atlantic. I don't remember the last time there were 3 at once. WOW! pic.twitter.com/gcA3dAEulE
— Mike Thomas (@MikeTFox5) September 6, 2017
This is a developing story and will be updated regularly. Refresh the page for updates.
Feature image: NOAA/NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team