ALERT #21 ON HURRICANE IRMA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY THURSDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER, 2017 AT 6PM EDT.
….THE CENTER OF EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE IRMA IS VERY NEAR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND INAGUA ISLAND...
….HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS TONIGHT….
A HURRICANE WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE ENTIRE BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE AFFECTING OR CAN AFFECT THE AFOREMENTIONED AREAS WITHIN 36 HOURS.
AT 5PM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 20.9 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 71.1 DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, 166 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF MATTHEW TOWN INAGUA, 222 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ACKLINS AND CROOKED ISLAND AND 489 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 BETWEEN HISPANIOLA AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS THIS EVENING, PASSING OVER LITTLE INAGUA AT MIDNIGHTAND SOUTH OF SALINA POINT, ACKLINS TOMORROW MORNING.
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 70 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 185 MILES FROM THE CENTER.
HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE ALREADY AFFECTING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE BEGINNING TO AFFECT INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, ACKLINS AND CROOKED ISLAND AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS WILL BEGIN TO SPREAD INTO LONG ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, RAGGED ISLAND, RUM CAY, SAN SALVADOR AND THE EXUMAS TOMORROW MORNING.
HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY.
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 9PM EDT ON THURSDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER 2017
ISSUED BY: JEFFREY SIMMONS
