THIS IS A NEWS ITEM ON HURRICANE IRMA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY FORECAST OFFICE SECTION, AT 6AM MONDAY, 4TH SEPTEMBER, 2017.
… TROPICAL-STORM FORCE WINDS EXPECTED TO BEGIN IN THE LEEWARD ISLANDS LATE TUESDAY…
AT 5AM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.9° NORTH AND LONGITUDE 52.3° WEST OR ABOUT 625 MILES EAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS.
IRMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-SOUTHWEST NEAR 14 MILES PER HOUR (MPH).
A TURN TOWARD THE WEST IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY, FOLLOWED BY A WEST-NORTHWEST TURN LATE TUESDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF IRMA WILL MOVE CLOSER TO THE LEEWARD ISLANDS THROUGH TUESDAY AND THEN BE NEAR NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS TUESDAY NIGHT.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 115 MILES PER HOUR (MPH) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IRMA IS A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT.
RESIDENTS IN THE BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS SYSTEM
