News Item on Hurricane Irma issued by The Bahamas Department of Meteorology Forecast Office Section, at 3PM Monday 04th September 2017.

… IRMA CONTINUES TO MOVE WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD TOWARD THE LEEWARD ISLANDS …

AT 2:00PM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.7° NORTH AND LONGITUDE 53.8° WEST OR ABOUT 530 MILES EAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS.

HURRICANE IRMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-SOUTHWEST AT 14 MPH. A TURN TOWARD THE WEST IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY, FOLLOWED BY A WEST-NORTHWESTWARD TURN LATE TUESDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF IRMA WILL MOVE NEAR OR OVER PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS TUESDAY NIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 120 MILES PER HOUR (MPH) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IRMA IS A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.

THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED AT 6PM.

PREPARED BY FORECASTER: ORSON NIXON