ALERT #19 ON HURRICANE IRMA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY THURSDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER, 2017 AT NOON EDT.
….EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE IRMA HEADING FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS…
A HURRICANE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS CAN AFFECT THE AFOREMENTIONED AREAS WITHIN 36 HOURS.
AT 11AM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 20.4 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 69.7 DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 120 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, 232 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF MATTHEW TOWN INAGUA, 306 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ACKLINS AND CROOKED ISLAND AND 585 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE.
HURRICANE IRMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST AT ABOUT 16 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WITH SOME DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE EYE OF IRMA SHOULD CONTINUE TO MOVE JUST NORTH OF THE COAST OF HISPANIOLA TODAY AND NEAR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS THIS EVENING. THE CORE OF IRMA WILL MOVE NEAR THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS BY FRIDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 175 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IRMA IS A CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO, BUT IRMA IS FORECAST TO REMAIN A POWERFUL CATEGORY FOUR OR FIVE HURRICANE DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 60 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 185 MILES FROM THE CENTER.
CONDITIONS HAVE BEGUN TO DETERIOATE OVER THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS. RESIDENTS IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, INAGUA, MAYAGUANNA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS AND RAGGED ISLAND SHOULD REMAIN INDOORS UNTIL THE ALL CLEAR HAS BEEN GIVEN.
RESIDENTS IN LONG ISLAND, RUM CAY, SAN SALVADOR, THE EXUMAS AND CAT ISLAND, SHOULD BEGIN TO FEEL THE EFFECTS OF HURRICANE IRMA BY FRIDAY MORNING.
RESIDENTS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS INCLUSIVE OF NEW PROVIDENCE, ELEUTHERA, ANDROS, THE BERRY ISLANDS, BIMINI, GRAND BAHAMA AND ABACO WILL BEGIN TO FEEL THE EFFECTS OF IRMA BY FRIDAY EVENING.
EXTENSIVE TO SEVERE FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED AS IRMA IS FORECAST TO PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES.
THE COMBINATION OF DANGEROUS STORM SURGE AND LARGE DESTRUCTIVE WAVES CAN RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 15 TO 20 FEET ABOVE THE NORMAL TIDE. RESIDENTS LIVING NEAR THE COAST ARE ASKED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND INLAND.
SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS THROUGHOUT THE BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD HAVE ALREADY SOUGHT SAFE HARBOUR FOR THEIR VESSELS.
THE NEXT ALERT ON HURRICANE IRMA WILL BE ISSUED AT 3PM EDT ON THURSDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER 2017
ISSUED BY: BASIL DEAN
