Hurricane Irma: Here We Go

The earliest the eye of Irma could make landfall in the 

United States is Sunday. 

The above sentence is an important item to bear in mind. It is also possible the eye of the storm will never reach the United States. Here is the latest NHC forecast for Irma's center. It is vital to keep in mind that center of the storm could be anywhere in the area outlined in white.

So, the storm may go over Cuba and be shredded by Cuba's mountains. It could move into the Gulf. And, yes, there is still a small chance it will turn north and parallel the U.S. coast for a time. It is important to note that while Irma is Cat 5 now, weather science has very little skill in forecasting intensity five days in advance. Since posting this, the new (18Z) GFS model has a different path and the pressure in the eye has dropped another 6mb to 920 mb. It has Irma missing Florida and making landfall farther north. The point I'm trying to emphasize is we have little skill in forecasting the location or intensity of landfall at this time.  (6:00pm)

News reports say there are long lines at grocery stories in Florida. This may be a bit premature. AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions' client Lowes has a hurricane supply preparation list. We are working with Lowes and others to make sure the right products are available at their stores that could be in the path of the storm.

So, What Do I Do Now?

These lists are created for a typical family, not those with special needs.

• Make sure you have enough prescription medicine to last through a multi-day evacuation. 
• Have a plan to care for infirm friends or relatives. 
• Check the hurricane supply preparation list (above) to make sure you have anything you might need.
• If you want a generator, get it installed now. Use an electrician to hook a generator into your home, do not try to do it yourself. 

I'll update this tomorrow morning.