ALERT #10 ON HURRICANE IRMA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

ALERT #10 ON HURRICANE IRMA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY WEDNESDAY 6^TH SEPTEMBER, 2017 AT 9AM EDT.

….EYE OF POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE IRMA PASSES OVER ST MARTIN …NORTHERN EYEWALL POUNDING ANGUILLA…

A HURRICANE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.  THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF MAYAGUANA, INAGUA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 36 HOURS.

A HURRICANE WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS.  THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF LONG ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, RUM CAY, SAN SALVADOR AND THE EXUMAS

A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 48 HOURS

A HURRICANE ALERT IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS.  THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF ELEUTHERA, NEW PROVIDENCE, ANDROS, THE BERRY ISLANDS, BIMINI, GRAND BAHAMA AND ABACO.

A HURRICANE ALERT MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 60 HOURS.

AT 8 AM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 18.1 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 63.3 DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 25 MILES WEST OF ST MARTIN, 632 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, 694 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MATTHEW TOWN INAGUA AND 1022 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 FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.  ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CORE OF IRMA WILL MOVE OVER PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN VIRGIN ISLANDS TODAY, PASS NEAR OR JUST NORTH OF PUERTO RICO THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT, AND PASS NEAR OR JUST NORTH OF THE COAST OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC THURSDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 185 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS.  IRMA IS A CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFIR-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 50 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES FROM THE CENTER.

RESIDENTS IN INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD RUSH TO COMPLETE ALL PREPARATION AS HURRICANE IRMA COULD BEGIN TO AFFECT THESE ISLANDS ON THURDDAY AFTERNOON.  RESIDENTS IN LONG ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, RUM CAY, SAN SALVADOR AND THE EXUMAS SHOULD SERIOUSLY BEGIN PREPARATION FOR THE DANGEROUS HURRICANE WHICH COULD POSIBILY BEGIN TO AFFECT THEM ON FRIDAY MORNING.  RESIDENTS IN ELEUTHERA, NEW PROVIDENCE, ANDROS, THE BERRY ISLANDS, BIMINI, GRAND BAHAMA AND ABACO SHOULD ALSO BEGIN TO MAKE PREPARATION FOR POSSIBLE AFFECTS FROM HURRICANE IRMA AND CONTINUE TO LISTEN AND PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO ALL ALERTS ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY.

EXTENSIVE TO SEVERE FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED AS IRMA IS FORECAST TO PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES OVER INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

THE COMBINATION OF A DANGEROUS STORM SURGE AND LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE WAVES COULD RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 15 TO 20 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE IN INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.  RESIDENTS RESIDING ON THE COAST IN THESE ISLANDS ARE ASKED TO IMMEDIATELY SEEK SAFE SHELTER FURTHER INLAND.  

SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS THROUGHOUT THE BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD BEGIN TO SEEK SAFE HARBOUR FOR THEIR VESSELS.

THE NEXT ALERT ON HURRICANE IRMA WILL BE ISSUED AT NOON EDT ON WEDNESDAY 6^TH SEPTEMBER 2017

ISSUED BY:  GEOFFREY GREENE