Hurricane Irma Update, Thursday Sept. 7th
According to the National Weather Service the updated predictions of Hurricane Irma’s storm path show the storm following a path through inland Georgia and South Carolina.
Predictions for Monday show a fairly wide range of impact areas from central Tennessee to the Raleigh Durham area of North Carolina.
The Wilmington/Cape Fear area lies to the far eastern edge of the predicted path. The Outer Banks are currently outside the predicted path.
The Wednesday afternoon National Weather Service storm track update noted that a northerly turn of Hurricane Irma is looking more likely by the weekend leaving the possibility that the storm could hit Georgia as well as South and North Carolina by early next week.
The agency also notes that the track is still somewhat uncertain.
As of 4 pm on Wednesday Irma was a category 5 hurricane moving eastward through the Caribbean, toward Puerto Rico.
“While a turn to the north is looking more and more likely by later this weekend, the uncertainty with the track, and subsequent impacts, remains high, especially for the Carolinas,” the National Weather Service update stated. “As a result of the expected northward movement the probability for at least tropical storm force winds is increasing across our area.”
A weekend of dangerous surf and rip currents is possible, according to the NWS.
“It’s too early to tell what specific surge, wind, rainfall, and tornado impacts could occur,” the update stated. “However, regardless of the ultimate track of the storm the combination of above normal astronomical tides and large wave action is likely to cause beach erosion which can further damage vulnerable coastal infrastructure previously damaged by Matthew.”
