Powerful Category 5 Hurricane Irma Battering Puerto Rico Tonight, the Storm Forecast to Move Northward Along Florida Coast this Weekend...

Hurricane Irma is tied for the 2nd strongest storm in the history of Atlantic Ocean storms. The storm now is a Category 5 with 185 mph sustained winds and gusts to 225 mph. The storm is now located 50 miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico, moving west-northwest at 16 mph. The storm has a very low pressure at 26.99 inches or 914 millibars. The National Hurricane Center reports that a Hurricane Warning is in effect for the British Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to the northern border with Haiti and Haiti from the northern border with the Dominican Republic to Le Mole St. Nicholas. The warning is also in effect for Southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands as well as the Central Bahamas. There are currently no watches in effect for Florida but they will likely be issued tomorrow. The storm is expected to track west-northwestward through Friday. The storm is expected to turn northward impacting Miami as a Category 4 storm Saturday night into Sunday. The offshore marine forecasts indicate that 42 foot waves are expected near the track of the storm. 

George Wright is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist for Wright Weather Consulting, LLC. Visit our website at WrightWeather.com. Follow George Wright on Twitter @gwweather.