Caribbean: Hurricane Irma: Saffir-Simpson Category 5 - Briefing Note – 08 September 2017

Crisis overview

Hurricane Irma made landfall on northeast Caribbean islands during the early hours local time of 6 September, affecting Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, St Barthélemy, St. Martin, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and other islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The hurricane is passing over Turks and Caicos, southern Bahamas, northern Dominican Republic and northern Haiti on 8 September.   
 
Forecast The National Hurricane Center anticipates that Hurricane Irma will remain a major hurricane through at least 11 September as it tracks towards the southeastern United States. It is moving west-northwest at 26km/h, and this motion is expected to continue for the next day, with a decrease in forward speed. The forecast indicates that the eye of Irma will continue to move westward away from the Turks and Caicos and towards the southeastern Bahamas. The core of the hurricane is then expected to move between the north coast of Cuba and the Bahamas during the next two days, and near the Florida Keys and southern Florida Peninsula Sunday morning.  
 
Hurricane Jose is gaining wind speed and its path is very similar to Hurricane Irma. It is expected to make landfall in Barbuda 8 September early afternoon, and on 9 September go over or near Leeward Islands, Antigua and Barbuda which were hit earlier this week (USAID 07/09/2017, NOAA, 08/09/2017).