Hurricane Irma On Collision Course With Florida

As Hurricane Irma continues on a path across the Caribbean Sea, edging closer to Florida, the powerful Category 5 storm was on a collision course with the Leeward Island Tuesday night. As of the National Hurricane Center's 8 p.m. Sept. 5 update, Irma was packing maximum sustained winds of 185 mph.

Irma wasn't the only named storm grabbing forecaster's attention Tuesday evening. Tropical Storm Jose officially arrived on the scene Tuesday morning. Jose had strengthened slightly by the evening. "Potentially catastrophic" Irma, however, was the main cause for concern. (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Tampa Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Another Powerful Hurricane Is Taking Aim At The US

Irma was located about 85 miles east of Antigua as of 8 p.m. Sept. 5. Forecasters say hurricane warnings have gone up for Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, St. Kitts, the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and other nearby islands.

A hurricane watch has been issued for Guadeloupe, the Haiti, the southeastern Bahama and the Turks and Caicos Islands, among other interests in the region. Hurricane warnings mean that hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area within 36 hours. Watches mean conditions are possible.

As of Tuesday night, hurricane-force winds extended out from Irma by 60 miles from the center. Tropical storm-force winds were extending outward by 175 miles. Irma was moving west at 15 mph.

Hurricane Irma is expected to follow a path that will bring it toward the northern Cuban coastline as a major storm by Friday. If the course holds steady, she may pose a threat to the Sunshine State over the weekend.

As of Tuesday evening, the hurricane center described Irma as "an extremely dangerous Category 5" storm. Forecasters say "fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful Category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days."

Watch: Florida Residents Get Ready For Hurricane Irma

While it’s still too early to tell what impacts Irma might have on Florida or the United States, forecasters say she bears close monitoring. Irma is expected to remain a major hurricane through the week. The threat Irma poses to Florida prompted Gov. Rick Scott to declare a state of emergency on Monday. The declaration includes all 67 counties within the Sunshine State.

• See also: Hurricane Irma Threat Prompts Florida State Of Emergency

“Hurricane Irma is a major and life-threatening storm and Florida must be prepared,” Scott said on Monday. "In Florida, we always prepare for the worst and hope for the best and while the exact path of Irma is not absolutely known at this time, we cannot afford to not be prepared."

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In South Florida, Miami-Dade County officials are urging residents to get ready. Miami-Dade Police also took to Twitter to warn residents of the potential for price gouging.

Mandatory evacuations were expected in Monroe County Wednesday morning due to the storm's potential to impact the Florida Keys. Miami-Dade County was also considering evacuations while the county's schools announced plans to close on Thursday and Friday.

Emergency managers across the Tampa Bay area were also urging residents to prepare. Sandbag operations had opened up in most counties and cities. Decisions about school closings are expected as early as Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Jose was located about 1,400 miles east of the Lesser Antilles as of 5 p.m. Tuesday. The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 45 mph while moving west at 12 mph. Jose is expected to reach hurricane force by sometime on Thursday. Its current projected path has it making a turn toward the north, which could have impacts for Bermuda. Whether it will impact the continental United States remains unclear.

Irma and Jose formed during the peak of the 2017 hurricane season. Forecasters call the period between mid-August and mid-October the “season within the season.” This eight-week period “is often the most active and dangerous time for tropical cyclone activity,” according to NOAA.

The peak period is historically responsible for major spikes in tropical weather activity, NOAA said. In fact, it accounts for roughly 78 percent of all tropical storm days on record. It is also the period when 87 percent of the category 1 and 2 hurricane days on record occurred. In addition, this period is responsible for “a whopping 96 percent of the major (category 3, 4 and 5) hurricane days.”

The conditions gradually become less ripe for development in mid-October when increased wind shear tends to reappear and water and air temperatures cool.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 each year. Average seasons produce about 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes. Three of the hurricanes are generally deemed major.

Residents readying for the ongoing season can get tips and advice on the federal government’s Ready.gov website.

Graphics courtesy of the National Hurricane Center