NEWS

UPDATE: East coast of Florida, Georgia, Carolinas brace for Irma

staff and wire reports

Hurricane Irma continued to be a bear, maintaining near-record 185 mph winds as it passed just north of Puerto Rico as evening fell on Wednesday.

Irma has been a Category 5 hurricane for more than a day and a half, which ranks it as the seventh longest lasting Category 5 in the Atlantic basin, according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach. Irma could take a run at the longest lasting Category 5 hurricane by Friday.

Looking ahead, according to the latest NHC forecast, the center of Irma may be very close to South Florida by Sunday morning, with conditions going downhill already during the day on Saturday and worsening for southwest Florida on Sunday.

While too early to pinpoint where Irma will strike Florida, The Weather Channel's report at 8 p.m. noted that all residents along the Southeast coast and eastern Gulf Coast, including Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, should monitor the progress of Irma closely.

Responsible for two confirmed deaths in the French island territories of St. Martin and St. Barthelemy, Irma was moving west-northwest at 16 mph and was just 50 miles from San Juan, Puerto Rico, according to a 7 p.m. report from the National Hurricane Center.

Little information was available Wednesday as a string of Caribbean islands were recovering after being blasted by the powerful Category 5 storm.

As darkness fell, numerous watches and warnings were in effect as Irma continued its march toward an expect landfall in South Florida by the weekend.

On the forecast track, the extremely dangerous core of Irma will continue to pass just north of Puerto Rico overnight, pass near or just north of the coast of Hispaniola Thursday, and be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas by Thursday evening.

Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days.

With the Bahamas bracing for the storm's impact Thursday, the Hurricane Center noted that interests elsewhere in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, as well as Cuba, the northwestern Bahamas and Florida should monitor the progress of Irma.

A Hurricane Warning was in effect overnight for:

—British Virgin Islands

—U.S. Virgin Islands

—Puerto Rico, Vieques, and Culebra

—Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to the northern border with Haiti

—Haiti from the northern border with the Dominican Republic to Le Mole St. Nicholas

—Southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands

—Central Bahamas

The Hurricane Center reported that entering the evening, hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 50 miles from the center of Irma and tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 185 miles.

The combination of a life-threatening storm surge and large breaking waves will raise water levels ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS by the following amounts within the hurricane warning area near and to the north of the center of Irma. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.

Turks and Caicos Islands: 15 to 20 feet

Southeastern and central Bahamas: 15 to 20 feet

Northern coast of the Dominican Republic: 3 to 5 feet

Northern coast of Haiti and the Gulf of Gonave: 1 to 3 feet

Northern coast of Cuba in the warning area: 5 to 10 feet

Water levels in the Leeward Islands will gradually subside tonight.

The combination of a life-threatening storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water is expected to reach the following HEIGHTS ABOVE GROUND if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:

British and U.S. Virgin Islands except St. Croix: 7 to 11 feet

Northern coast of Puerto Rico: 4 to 6 feet

Southern coast of Puerto Rico and St. Croix: 2 to 4 feet

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast in areas of onshore winds, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.

Irma also is expected to produce the following rain accumulations through Saturday:

Northern Leeward Islands: Additional 1 to 3 inches. Storm total 8 to 12 inches, isolated 20 inches.

Northeast Puerto Rico and the British and U.S. Virgin Islands: 6 to 12 inches, isolated 20 inches.

Southwest Puerto Rico: 3 to 6 inches, isolated 10 inches.

The Southern Leeward Islands and Saint Croix: 2 to 4 inches.

Southeast Bahamas, Central Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos: 8 to 12 inches, isolated 20 inches.

Northern Dominican Republic and northern Haiti: 4 to 10 inches, isolated 15 inches.

Eastern and Central Cuba: 4 to 10 inches, isolated 15 inches.

Southwest Haiti: 1 to 4 inches.

In all areas this rainfall may cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.

6:20 p.m. Update

Hurricane Irma has claimed its first fatalities, according to French officials, who reported two deaths and two serious injuries in the French-administered island territories of St. Martin and St. Barthelemy, popularly known as St. Barts.

Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes ever, wreaked havoc on a string of small islands with drenching rainfall and howling 185 mph winds on a track toward South Florida, where Gov. Rick Scott begged constituents to obey calls to flee the storm’s path when the time came.

“I cannot stress this enough — do not ignore evacuation orders,” Scott said at a news briefing as the storm began lashing Puerto Rico with rain, still on track for the U.S. mainland. “If you’re told to evacuate, don’t wait — get out quickly.”

Before dawn Wednesday, the tiny Caribbean nation of Barbuda and Antigua was pummeled by wind and rain as the Category 5 storm passed almost directly above the islands, tearing off roofs, uprooting trees and triggering floods. Many people sought safety in government shelters as the winds turned storm-borne debris into missiles. There were no known deaths.

“The Lord has protected us and we have been spared the worst of Irma,” tweeted Barbuda and Antigua’s prime minister, Gaston Browne.

Irma also roared through the French island territories of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, battering them with wind and water that smashed buildings and toppled trees. It was there that two deaths were reported by the French overseas territories minister, Annick Girardin. She also said two people were seriously injured.

Dutch authorities were keeping an anxious eye on St. Maarten, Netherlands territory that shares its island with St. Martin, after the storm disrupted communications and did heavy damage.

In the early afternoon, the eye passed over the British Virgin Islands with winds gusting at 110 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported. Celebrity tycoon Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, owns a small private island in the chain, and blogged beforehand that he and a group of friends would be seeking shelter in a concrete wine cellar.

Six southern islands in the Bahamas were under evacuation orders, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said, with people being flown to the capital, Nassau.

In Puerto Rico, lashed by the storm’s leading edge, people hunkered down as the hurricane menaced the U.S. territory, with the height of winds and rain expected later Wednesday. Gov. Ricardo Rossello said the storm’s danger was “like nothing we’ve ever seen.”

As the hurricane closed in, the world’s second-largest radio telescope at Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory suspended operations, its operators announced on Twitter.

With Puerto Rico’s infrastructure already tottering, islanders were bracing for a loss of power that could linger for weeks or even months.

In the low-lying Florida Keys, where many people are accustomed to riding out hurricanes, mandatory evacuation orders were in effect for visitors and were extended to residents for later Wednesday — a complicated undertaking that was to include airlifting hospital patients.

5:45 p.m. Update

Still maintaining near-record winds of 185 mph, Hurricane Irma was passing north of Puerto Rico, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The strength of Irma was documented by the Hurricane Center with a report that a 63 mph wind gust was recorded in San Juan, Puerto Rico, located 50 miles away.

Irma is moving west-northwest at 16 mph. Its current minimum central pressure is 914 millibars or 26.99 inches.

The government of the Bahamas has issued a Hurricane Warning for the central Bahamas, including Cat Island, the Exumas, Long Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador. A Hurricane Watch has been issued for the northwestern Bahamas, including the Abacos, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama Island and New Providence.

The government of Cuba has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for the Cuban provinces of Guantanamo, Holguin and Las Tunas.

The government of France has discontinued the Hurricane Warning for Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, which are reported to have sustained major damage and possible loss of life.

Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days.

Turks and Caicos Islands: 15 to 20 feet

Southeastern and central Bahamas: 15 to 20 feet

Northern coast of the Dominican Republic: 3 to 5 feet

Northern coast of Haiti and the Gulf of Gonave: 1 to 3 feet

Northern coast of Cuba in the warning area: 5 to 10 feet

Water levels in the Leeward Islands will gradually subside tonight.

British and U.S. Virgin Islands except St. Croix: 7 to 11 feet

Northern coast of Puerto Rico: 4 to 6 feet Southern coast of Puerto Rico and St. Croix: 2 to 4 feet

3 P.M.

In a short post by the National Hurricane Center it was reported: “CORE OF IRMA BATTERING THE VIRGIN ISLANDS”

The monster Category 5 storm is currently located 20 miles from St. Thomas and 70 miles from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

NHC reported that the storm is maintaining its near-record 185 mph winds with higher gusts. It is current moving west-northwest at 16 mph.

French President Emmanuel Macron says he expects that victims and heavy damages will be discovered when Hurricane Irma has left the islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy in the French West Indies.

Speaking at a crisis center set up at the Interior Ministry, Macron told reporters Wednesday night that while if it's too early to give a precise toll and figures, he can already say "the toll will be harsh and cruel."

Macron said there will be victims and that "the material damage on both islands is considerable."

Saint Barthelemy is a French overseas island in the West Indies while nearby Saint Martin is a half-French half-Dutch island.

1:25 P.M.

The extremely dangerous core of Hurricane Irma had maintained its near-record winds as the Category 5 storm was passing over the northernmost Virgin Islands.

According to the most recent post by the National Hurricane Center, Irma was maintaining maximum sustained winds of 185 mph with higher gusts while moving west-northwest at 16 mph. The minimum central pressure rose to 920 millibars or 27.17 inches.

On the Hurricane Center forecast track, the extremely dangerous core of Irma will continue to move over portions of the Virgin Islands during the next couple of hours, pass near or just north of Puerto Rico this afternoon or tonight, pass near or just north of the coast of the Dominican Republic Thursday, and be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas late Thursday.

NHC noted that some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful Category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days as it approaches Florida.

Hurricane-force winds currently extend outward up to 50 miles from the center of Irma and tropical-storm-force winds now extend outward up to 185 miles.

Currently numerous watches and warnings are in effect.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect:

—Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy

—British Virgin Islands

—U.S. Virgin Islands

—Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra

—Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to the northern border with Haiti

—Haiti from the northern border with the Dominican Republic to Le Mole St. Nicholas

—Southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands

A Hurricane Watch is in effect:

—Cuba from Matanzas province eastward to Guantanamo province

—Central Bahamas

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect:

—Dominican Republic from south of Cabo Engano westward to the southern border with Haiti

—Haiti from south of Le Mole St. Nicholas to Port-Au Prince

Northern Leeward Islands: 7 to 11 feet

Turks and Caicos Islands: 15 to 20 feet

Southeastern Bahamas: 15 to 20 feet

Northern coast of the Dominican Republic: 3 to 5 feet

Northern coast of Haiti and the Gulf of Gonave: 1 to 3 feet

British and U.S. Virgin Islands except St. Croix: 7 to 11 feet

Northern coast of Puerto Rico: 4 to 6 feet

Southern coast of Puerto Rico and St. Croix: 2 to 4 feet

Irma is expected to produce the following rain accumulations through Saturday:

Northern Leeward Islands: 8 to 12 inches, isolated 20 inches

Northeast Puerto Rico and the British and U.S. Virgin Islands: 4 to 10 inches, isolated 15 inches

Southwest Puerto Rico, the southern Leeward Islands, and Saint Croix: 2 to 4 inches

Southeast Bahamas and Turks and Caicos: 8 to 12 inches, isolated 20 inches

Northern Dominican Republic, northern Haiti, eastern and central Cuba: 4 to 10 inches, isolated 15 inches

Southwest Haiti: 1 to 4 inches

In all areas this rainfall may cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.

NOON

Potentionally catastrophic Hurricane Irma maintained its near-record winds into Wednesday afternoon as the eye of the Category 5 storm was closing in on the Virgin Islands.

On the Hurricane Center forecast track, the extremely dangerous core of Irma will move over portions of the Virgin Islands very soon, pass near or just north of Puerto Rico this afternoon or tonight, pass near or just north of the coast of the Dominican Republic on Thursday, and be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas late Thursday.

Hurricane-force winds currently extend outward up to 50 miles from the center of Irma and tropical-storm-force winds now extend outward up to 185 miles.

Northern Leeward Islands: 7 to 11 feet

Turks and Caicos Islands: 15 to 20 feet

Southeastern Bahamas: 15 to 20 feet

Northern coast of the Dominican Republic: 3 to 5 feet

Northern coast of Haiti and the Gulf of Gonave: 1 to 3 feet

British and U.S. Virgin Islands except St. Croix: 7 to 11 feet

Northern coast of Puerto Rico: 4 to 6 feet

Southern coast of Puerto Rico and St. Croix: 2 to 4 feet

Irma is expected to produce the following rain accumulations through Saturday:

Northern Leeward Islands: 8 to 12 inches, isolated 20 inches

Northeast Puerto Rico and the British and U.S. Virgin Islands: 4 to 10 inches, isolated 15 inches

Southwest Puerto Rico, the southern Leeward Islands, and Saint Croix: 2 to 4 inches

Southeast Bahamas and Turks and Caicos: 8 to 12 inches, isolated 20 inches

Northern Dominican Republic, northern Haiti, eastern and central Cuba: 4 to 10 inches, isolated 15 inches

Southwest Haiti: 1 to 4 inches

11:45 A.M.

National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini says Hurricane Irma is so record-breaking strong it's impossible to hype.

Uccellini told The Associated Press on Wednesday he's concerned about Florida up the east coast to North Carolina, starting with the Florida Keys. He warns that "all the hazards associated with this storm" are going to be dangerous.

Hurricane expert Kerry Emanuel of MIT calculates that Irma holds about 7 trillion watts — about twice the energy of all bombs used in World War II.

A Dutch Navy spokeswoman says that marines who flew to three islands hammered by Hurricane Irma have seen a lot of damage, but have no immediate reports of casualties.

The Category 5 storm made a direct hit Wednesday on the island where the Dutch territory of St. Maarten is located, though the scope of damage isn't yet clear. Some 100 Dutch marines flew to the islands on Monday to prepare for the hurricane.

Navy spokeswoman Karen Loos says that some troops were able to send images of destruction from St. Maarten and another island, St. Eustatius. Loos says, "You do see there is a lot of damage. Trees, houses, roofs that are blown out. A lot of water, high water."

Irma has caused torn off rooftops and knocked out all electricity on the French islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, and France has requisitioned planes and sent in emergency food and water rations.

9:30 A.M.

Powerful Hurricane Irma maintained its near-record winds into Wednesday morning as the eye of the Category 5 storm passed over St. Martin and the northern eyewall was pounding Anguilla.

On the Hurricane Center forecast track, the extremely dangerous core of Irma will move over portions of the northern Virgin Islands today, pass near or just north of Puerto Rico this afternoon or tonight, and pass near or just north of the coast of the Dominican Republic on Thursday.

Hurricane-force winds currently extend outward up to 50 miles from the center of Irma and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles. A wind gust to 90 mph was recently on the island of St. Eustatius located south of the eye of Irma. A NOAA National Ocean Service station on Barbuda reported sustained winds of 118 mph with a gust to 155 mph before the instrument failed earlier this morning.

Northern Leeward Islands: 7 to 11 feet

Turks and Caicos Islands: 15 to 20 feet

Southeastern Bahamas: 15 to 20 feet

Northern coast of the Dominican Republic: 3 to 5 feet

Northern coast of Haiti and the Gulf of Gonave: 1 to 3 feet

British and U.S. Virgin Islands except St. Croix: 7 to 11 feet

Northern coast of Puerto Rico: 3 to 5 feet

Southern coast of Puerto Rico and St. Croix: 1 to 2 feet

ORIGINAL STORY

One of the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricanes in recorded history made its first landfall in the islands of the northeast Caribbean early Wednesday, roaring along a path pointing to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba before possibly heading for Florida over the weekend.

The eye of Hurricane Irma passed over Barbuda around 1:47 a.m. EDT, the U.S. National Weather Service said, with 185 mph winds and gusts up to 225 mph. Residents said over local radio that phone lines went down. Heavy rain and howling winds raked the neighboring island of Antigua, sending debris flying as people huddled in their homes or government shelters.

Officials warned people to seek protection from Irma’s “onslaught” in a statement that closed with: “May God protect us all.”

Irma’s forecasted path has shifted east, and the forecast now calls for landfall in south Florida between the next 4-5 days. Forecasters stress that residents should not focus on the exact forecast track, especially at the longer ranges, since the average NHC track errors are about 175 and 225 statute miles at days 4 and 5, respectively.

“It’s an absolute buzz saw cutting across the Caribbean,” said Jim Judge, Volusia County emergency management director. “I think it’s one for the record books.”

At 5 a.m. the following watches and warnings were in effect across the Caribbean:

A Hurricane Warning is in effect:

—Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis

—Saba, St. Eustatius and Saint Maarten

—Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy

—British Virgin Islands

—U.S. Virgin Islands

—Puerto Rico, Vieques, and Culebra

—Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to the northern border with Haiti

—Guadeloupe

—Southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands

A Hurricane Watch is in effect:

—Haiti from the northern border with the Dominican Republic to Le Mole St. Nicholas

—Turks and Caicos Islands

—Southeastern Bahamas

—Cuba from Matanzas province eastward to Guantanamo province

—Central Bahamas

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect:

—Dominican Republic from south of Cabo Engano westward to the southern border with Haiti

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect:

—Haiti from south of Le Mole St. Nicholas to Port-Au-Prince

With Irma’s massive winds stretching more than 320 miles wide and its hurricane force winds extending out to 60 miles from the center, its impacts are likely to be far-reaching no matter where the center of the storm travels.

“Andrew was a Cat 5, but it was like a 30-mile wide tornado,” Judge said. “This baby is huge.”

Irma becomes one of only five Atlantic hurricanes in history to have winds of 185 mph. Only one, Hurricane Allen in 1980, had higher winds — 190 mph.

At 5 a.m. Wednesday, Irma was 35 miles east-southeast of St. Martin and about 145 miles east of St. Croix, the National Hurricane Center said. The central pressure remained at 916 millibars.

After moving through the Leeward Islands, Irma is forecast to blast through the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico Wednesday. Warm ocean temperatures and low wind shear are forecast to help the storm maintain its ferocious winds for the next several days.

As it nears the coast of Cuba, forecasters expect the storm to slow down.

By Friday, Irma’s earliest winds and rough surf are forecast to begin arriving in the Florida Keys.

By the weekend, Irma is forecast to turn northward around a high-pressure ridge across the Atlantic Ocean, though computer models used to forecast hurricanes were still divided Wednesday morning on when and where the turn could take place.

The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center forecast predicts rainfall of up to 10 inches across the eastern half of Florida, with up to 15 inches in extreme southern Florida.

Dinah Voyles Pulver, a staff writer for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, contributed to this report.