Irma Weakens Into Tropical Storm As It Grinds Through Florida
By Bill ChappellIrma Weakens Into Tropical Storm As It Grinds Through Florida
By Bill ChappellIn Florida, Hurricane Irma has brought dangerous floodwaters, knocked out power to millions and turned human possessions into debris in the past 24 hours. After making landfall on Sunday, the huge storm remained a Category 1 hurricane as it moved over the state’s northwest Monday, before finally being downgraded to a tropical storm at 8 a.m. ET.
Irma has maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, with stronger gusts. At 11 a.m. ET, Irma was about 70 miles east of Tallahassee. Flash flood warnings have been issued in Jacksonville — a victim, like other eastern Florida areas, of the heaviest rains that are commonly found in hurricanes’ northeast quarter.
More than 6 million electricity accounts in Florida are currently without power, state officials say. While the full extent of Irma’s damage isn’t yet known, the storm has weakened at a faster rate than expected.
As the sun rose Monday, many Floridians anxiously awaited their first chance to assess the damage wrought by the hurricane, either inspecting their houses and neighborhoods for themselves or contacting those who stayed behind.
For those caught in Irma’s path — and wondering what to do after it passes — member station WLRN in Miami has assembled a guide to help.
7:24am EST Monday— There is not a single airplane over the state of Florida. pic.twitter.com/fWGwU5VkFP
— Sam Sweeney (@SweeneyABC) September 11, 2017
Irma was a hurricane for part of 12 days, having been dubbed a hurricane on Aug. 31, when it was far from land in the Atlantic Ocean. For days, it was a Category 5 storm, wreaking havoc in the Caribbean, where recovery efforts are still underway.
On Monday morning, the storm brought storm surge risks as high as 4 to 6 feet above normal water levels in parts of Florida. Irma was also extending tropical-storm-force winds outward up 415 miles, the National Hurricane Center says.
The perilous storm and the massive evacuation it sparked were reflected in an unusual scene in Florida early Monday, when the state’s skies were empty of airliners. A screenshot taken by journalist Sam Sweeney shows, as he wrote, “not a single airplane over the state of Florida.”
Full radar loop showing the trek of Hurricane #IRMA through the #FL peninsula since very early Sunday morning. #flwx #NWS #NHC pic.twitter.com/IgEJZ2gexU
— NWS Tampa Bay (@NWSTampaBay) September 11, 2017
Irma is moving north-northwest at nearly 18 mph — a motion that’s expected to continue through Tuesday. The storm’s center is forecast to move near the Florida Peninsula’s northwestern coast and cross the eastern Florida Panhandle into southern Georgia Monday afternoon. It will then move through southwestern Georgia and eastern Alabama through the night and into Tuesday.
When it arrived in Florida, Irma was more than 400 miles wide; the storm remains huge. Consider that when it made landfall at the bottom of Florida’s peninsula on Sunday, Irma’s thick bands of rain were already drenching parts of northern Florida and southern Georgia.
Hurricane Irma made landfall twice in Florida on Sunday, smacking into the Florida Keys as a Category 4 storm before moving over water and hitting Marco Island as a Category 3 on Florida’s southwest coast.
People in the hurricane’s path are using a Facebook group to check in and mark themselves as safe, with nearly 400,000 people in the group as of Monday morning, offering peace of mind to loved ones and giving a hint at this storm’s reach.
Members of the group also used it to commiserate, share tips and vent their feelings about Irma.
As the sun rose Monday, they also shared some of what they’re seeing. A sample, from Benjamin McKinney in Davenport, Fla.:
“Walked around to check out my yard. The neighbor’s screen patio was torn off and is laying in the street. The stop sign on the corner is missing. The neighbor behind us fence is down. We’re missing some pieces from our roof overhang. Our boughanvilla bush was uprooted and pulled our fence out. Nothing too crazy”
In Key West, the far-flung island lost power and phone connections, but some news began to emerge from Key West late Sunday night. Photographer Rob O’Neal relayed an account of damage, highlighted by flooding, and downed trees and utility poles. Some buildings had also lost their rooftops.
“Counted 10-20 utility lines & 20 trees down in Oldtown. Downed trees & tree limbs scattered throughout KW. Counted at least 100 ppl walking around outside after eye wall passed,” O’Neal wrote.
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