Likely to make some impact on Leeward Islands
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LESS than 24 hours after being down to a Category 2 Hurricane, Irma has once again been upgrades to Category 3 as she continues her path along the Atlantic Ocean.
According to the St. Kitts Meteorological Service, staffers are still closely monitoring the progress of Hurricane Irma.
Overnight, the storm returned to its previous status after it reached maximum sustained winds near 115 miles per hour and is further strengthening.
In its morning (Sept. 3) report, the Meteorological Service informed that the hurricane was located 945 miles East of the Leeward Islands.
It is also said that the hurricane is moving West-southwest at near 14mph and a slightly slower forward speed is expected throughout the night.
A turn towards the West is forecast for tomorrow and the Met Office has insinuated that if the hurricane remains along that path, St. Kitts and Nevis could be spared most of the dangerous weather associated with the system.
In their 11:00 a.m. update, the Met Office stated that the center of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 17.7 North, longitude 48.4 West or 885 miles East of the Leeward Islands or 940 miles east of St. Kits and Nevis.
Though the Federation might be spared a directly hit bfrom Hurricane Irma, officials have warned that “if after turning West-southwest it does not return to the West-northwest track, very hazardous weather will impact the area on Wednesday”.
As such, they are warning citizens and residents to take the necessary precautions.
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