Hurricane Irma shifts toward Florida's west coast, which faces 'very dangerous' situation

ABC News ^ | September 9, 2017 | by EMILY SHAPIRO MORGAN WINSOR

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic storm in a decade, hit Cuba overnight as a rare Category 5 storm, then shifted course toward the west coast of Florida.

The monster storm's shift in direction creates a "very, very dangerous situation for western Florida," said ABC News meteorologist Daniel Manzo.

As of 8 a.m. Saturday morning, Irma was a Category 4 with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. It was about 225 miles from Miami, moving west-northwest at 12 mph.

Naples, Fort Myers and other communities on Florida's west coast could get slammed when Irma makes landfall as a Category 4 storm, which is expected to happen between early Sunday and early Monday. Landfall could occur as far north as Tampa.

The wind gusts in Florida were already picking up early Saturday, with Miami International Airport reporting a 59 mph gust.

[gunsequalfreedom]

And another one right behind it. If only Trump had signed that climate change thing in Paris none of this would be happening.

I actually had someone tell me that yesterday. I at first thought they were joking.

[Albion Wilde]

Let us know you are ok.

[immadashell]

My reply to the next thread:

There is so much reliance on algore type models tracking Hurricane Irma I fully expect to see a special news release from the Bamster proclaiming “The science is settled”. The longer the storm continues to track to the west, the safer the folks in Florida are. How many deaths will the MSM attribute to phony models if Florida is spared?

[wtd]

Sundance over at TheConservativeTreehouse posted this update earlier today:

• 5:00am Hurricane Irma – Alert For West Coast Tidal Storm Surge…

  Well worth the read. Here is the main point:

  What does all this mean?

  Well, information is how we make prudent decisions. If you overlay the National Hurricane Center timeline with the local tidal charts for the impacted communities; you see the potential worst case scenario for storm surge that could dwarf all prior forecasts of the worst case scenario. These Maps could be under-stating the risk; they most certainly are not over-stating it.

  I’m not trying to alarm anyone, but if you are near the coast -anywhere near the coast- from Ten Thousand Islands up to Tampa and St. Pete; especially in Charlotte Harbor or along the Caloosahatchee river basin; or if you are even in a moderate non-evacuated flood zone; if you live West of U.S. 41; and if you are wondering whether you should seek shelter on higher ground today…. JUST DO IT !

  We have seen hurricanes carve up barrier Islands, remove and build others, and swamp coastal communities with storm surge. We have never seen a recorded major hurricane track from South to North on, or near, the West coast of Florida.

  The west coast tides and the arrival of the Atlantic region’s most powerful hurricane are in alignment for a worst case scenario for flooding and storm surge. There is still time today to take shelter from that storm surge, and for those North of Boca Grande (North of Lake Okeechobee – 28° latitude) there’s still time to evacuate.

  

• NHC Storm Surge Link

[Popman]

Thank you...I’m prepared as can possibly be...

[Georgia Girl 2]

I took meteorology 105 at FSU and so far my models of either directly up through the peninsula or further west and striking the panhandle are beating the experts. What’s wrong with that picture? LOL!

[bgill]

Yep. Irma didn’t change course at all. The weather predictors were wrong so they changed their assumptions. She’s still headed on the same westward course she always was.

[cgbg]

All I see is west west west while the “experts” say north north north...

When will it turn?

[UCANSEE2]

I watch it with this

EARTH WIND MAP.

And it hasn't 'shifted' towards Florida, as you noted.

[UCANSEE2]

Everything is said so someone can make money off of the disaster.

RUSH LIMBAUGH said that and the media scorned him.

[UCANSEE2]

Jose is forecast to loop harmlessly to the NE over the open water.

AND... Katya, which was in the gulf, has completed disappeared.

[UCANSEE2]

I meant ‘completely’. Sorry for the typo

[sodpoodle]

Weather monitoring and communication are so much more informative than they were in the 1960’s.

No room at the Inn;(

I remember Dora in 1964. Husband overseas and I was a mother of a 2 yr. old son and a TWO WEEK old baby, living with mother-in-law on Tybee Island, Ga. My MIL called her sister to see if we could stay further inland with her. Her answer was ‘NO’!!!!! So we drove to a motel in Savannah and stayed overnight. The next morning, we returned to Tybee - believing the worst was over. However, a concerned neighbor raced over and asked us why on earth we came back so soon. She ordered us to go with her and stay with her family much further inland. Great neighbor and her family. My poor mother-in-law was devastated that her neighbor was a better Christian that her own sister!!!!!!!

Ahh, Memories!

[UCANSEE2]

Even if the storm continues solid West, there will be a surge along the West Coast of Florida, just due to the size of the storm.

[cgbg]

Over the past two days the projected landfall has moved from Miami to somewhere well up the west coast of Florida (perhaps 100 miles west). If it moves another fifty miles west then Irma will have turned into a tropical storm for Florida and it may turn out the “experts” evacuated the wrong state.

We should know more by the end of today....

[UB355]

AS of 11:00 am Irma has not moved north, idiots at ABC.

[Moonman62]

When is she going to turn?? The sooner the better.

...

Look at the predicted path. The models are in good agreement.

[FreedomPoster]

And just for the record, for those caterwauling about Jose, it’s going to meander about the Atlantic.

https://my.sfwmd.gov/sfwmd/common/images/weather/plots/storm_12

[EEGator]

“...What’s wrong with that picture?”

Well, you went to FSU...

[MV=PY]

The legislators can fix this!

Just declare the US a hurricane-free zone.