Hurricane Irma is one of the most devastating hurricanes ever to hit Central America, and is the largest Atlantic storm since 2005. It has reached speeds of over 185mph, virtually decimating villages in the Caribbean Islands and Cuba.
This colossal hurricane is set to be the worst hurricane to hit Florida since 1992’s hurricane Andrew. Irma is projected to be a maximum of a category 5 hurricane.
Irma was forecast to hit the Florida Keys on Sunday morning. Unexpectedly though it changed its course and has moved towards Tampa, bringing severe devastation until it inevitably moves on again. The rains that surround the whirlwind have already hit Florida, and 5.6 million residents of ‘‘the sunshine state’’ have been evacuated. Those who remain are putting their lives at great risk. A curfew has also been put in place for the citizens of Palm beach, effective as of 3:00pm on Saturday.
Evacuations have not only occurred in Florida. The state of Georgia has issued over half a million mandatory evacuation plans in the hope that no one is harmed during this disastrous event.
For many people, the destruction does not end with hurricane Irma. On the tail of Irma, begins hurricane Jose, following the path of destruction.
Cuba’s Institute of Meteorology attempted to gauge what they were facing – finding Jose’s highest winds to be in region 125mph, but much of their equipment was destroyed in the research.
The US government estimates that the hurricane could have caused around $200 million of damage. Unfortunately, there is damage that cannot be undone. The hurricane has stolen 23 lives so far, its rampage began with a two-year-old child in the Caribbean.
Now to truly appreciate the monstrosity that Is hurricane Irma we must first understand it.
Hurricanes are huge swirling storms, perhaps like you would imagine in a cartoon. They need to be moving faster than 74mph to be officially a hurricane (this is faster than a cheetah).
Hurricanes form over warm water, and sometimes they strike land. The most dangerous part is when it pushes the ocean wall onto land. Once at this stage weather forecasters start to predict its path.
The table below shows the magnitude of the hurricane:
Category 1: 74 – 95mph
Category 2: 96 -110mph
Category 3: 111 – 129mph
Category 4: 130 – 156mph
Category 5: 157mph +
So as a hurricane the size France engulfs Central America we must wait to see the damage which is yet to come.
