Everything you need to know about Hurricane Irma: WP

Hurricane Irma is the strongest storm on record outside the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, and it’s tracking toward the Southeast U.S.

The latest

Hurricane Irma is lashing the Caribbean islands and the Bahamas with extreme wind gusts and torrential rain, and it’s tracking toward South Florida, where a hurricane watch was implemented Thursday morning.

Irma devastated the island of Barbuda Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. A Barbuda weather station reported a 155-mph wind gust just before it failed. Reports suggest the island may have suffered a nearly-total loss.

On Wednesday, the storm battered Puerto Rico as the eye tracked to the north of San Juan. Intense wind gusts were reported, including 111 mph on Culebra Island and 131 mph on Buck Island in U.S. Virgin Islands

On Thursday and Friday, Hurricane Irma will pass just north of Hispaniola and Cuba as it moves into the Southeast Bahamas. Then the storm could reach South Florida on Saturday night.

“It has become more likely that Irma will make landfall in southern Florida as a dangerous major hurricane,” the National Hurricane Center said Thursday afternoon, “and bring life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts to much of the state.”

A hurricane watch is in effect for South Florida, the Florida Keys, Lake Okeechobee, and Florida Bay. We expect that will be extended northward Thursday night.

Source: Hurricane Irma path 2017: Live updates for Puerto Rico, Florida and Southeast U.S. – Washington Post