Weather

When Will Hurricane Irma Hit Puerto Rico?

The powerful Category 5 hurricane is taking aim at Puerto Rico where a hurricane warning is in effect.

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Hurricane Irma, a powerful category five storm brewing in the Atlantic, is making her way towards Puerto Rico, packing winds of 185 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center, and officials are warning residents to prepare for the storm that is expected to bring significant damage to all 78 of Puerto Rico's municipalities when it passes the island on Wednesday.

A hurricane warning is in effect for Puerto Rico and according to the NHC, Irma will land in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico by Wednesday. Irma is the strongest Atlantic hurricane since Rita in 2005, officials said.

As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, the NHC said Irma is moving west near 15 miles per hour. The storm is expected to take a turn toward the west-northwest beginning tonight and this track is expected to continue for the next couple of days. The NHC says the "extremely dangerous" core of Irma is forecast to move over portions of the northern Leeward Islands tonight and early Wednesday. The NHC is forecasting that Irma will pass near or just north of Puerto Rico late Wednesday and Wednesday night.

Storm surges from Irma will raise water levels on the northern coast of Puerto Rico by 3 to 5 feet and by 1 to 2 feet on the southern coast. Hurricane conditions are expected to begin in Puerto Rico on Wednesday, with tropical storm conditions beginning Tuesday night.

Irma will bring anywhere between 4 to 10 inches of rain, the NHC predicts, with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches across northeast Puerto Rico. Southwest Puerto Rico could see 2 to 4 inches of rain. The storm will also bring life-threatening surf and rip current conditions caused by swells.

"Puerto Rico has not seen a hurricane of this magnitude in almost 100 years," Carlos Anselmi, a National Weather Service meteorologist in San Juan, told The Associated Press.

An extreme potential of winds greater than 110 miles per hour is possible for the northern part of Puerto Rico while winds between 74 to 110 miles per hour are possible for the southern part, according to weather officials.

SEE ALSO: Another Powerful Hurricane Is Taking Aim At The US

Meanwhile, a state of emergency has been declared in Puerto Rico in anticipation of the hurricane. Government officials have made available a map of shelters that residents can use. The government also provides a variety of resources that residents can consult while preparing for a hurricane.

Government officials began evacuations and urged people to finalize all preparations as shelves emptied out across islands including Puerto Rico.

"The decisions that we make in the next couple of hours can make the difference between life and death," Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. "This is an extremely dangerous storm."

Puerto Ricans braced for blackouts after the director of the island's power company told reporters that storm damage could leave some areas without electricity for about a week and other, unspecified areas for four to six months.

The utility's infrastructure has deteriorated greatly during a decade-long recession, and Puerto Ricans experienced an island-wide outage last year.

Rossello has also asked President Donald Trump for a disaster declaration.

"The magnitude of this weather system is such that we expect severe flooding and impact to all of the infrastructure, businesses and residences in the 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico," Rossello wrote in a letter to Trump. "We expect significant property damages and economic losses."

The White House later issued a statement, approving the disaster declaration.

According to the NWS, residents can expect the following possible impacts from Irma in Puerto Rico where the threat level is high:

  • Considerable roof damage to sturdy buildings, with some having window, door, and garage door failures leading to structural damage. Mobile homes severely damaged,with some destroyed. Damage accentuated by airborne projectiles. Locations may be uninhabitable for weeks.
  • Many large trees snapped or uprooted along with fences and roadway signs blown over.
  • Some roads impassable from large debris, and more within urban or heavily wooded places. Several bridges, causeways, and access routes impassable.
  • Large areas with power and communications outages.

In areas where the threat level is extreme, residents can expect the following impacts, according to the NWS:

  • Widespread power outages with some areas experiencing long-term outages.
  • Many bridges and access routes connecting barrier islands impassable.
  • Structural category to sturdy buildings with some having complete wall and roof failures.
  • Complete destruction of mobile homes.
  • Numerous roads impassable from large debris.

A new tropical storm also formed in the Atlantic on Tuesday, to the east of Irma. The hurricane center said Tropical Storm Jose was about 1,505 miles (2,420 kilometers) east of the Lesser Antilles with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph). It was moving west-northwest at 13 mph (20 kph) and was expected to become a hurricane by Friday.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Photo via National Hurricane Center of Irma's latest projected path

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