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New Models Show Monster Hurricane Irma On Collision Course With East Coast

With nearly every computer model now having one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded making landfall in the United States at some point in its path, it's now clear the East Coast is on a collision course with one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded

Updated projected timing and track for Hurricane Irma, release Tuesday afternoon.

Updated projected timing and track for Hurricane Irma, release Tuesday afternoon.

Photo Credit: National Hurricane Center
Projected wind strength for Irma as it treks westerly toward Florida.

Projected wind strength for Irma as it treks westerly toward Florida.

Photo Credit: National Hurricane Center
Irma became a Category 5 hurricane on Tuesday morning.

Irma became a Category 5 hurricane on Tuesday morning.

Photo Credit: National Hurricane Center

Category 5 Hurricane Irma, located Tuesday night 130 miles east of Antiqua packing staggering 185 mph winds, is due to hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday and Wednesday night.

The National Weather Service in Puerto Rico said it hasn't seen a storm of this magnitude in 100 years. President Trump declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico.

Irma could make landfall on the East Coast, possibly in South Florida, sometime Saturday night or Sunday. Evacuations in Miami Dade are expected to start Wednesday.

Only four other storms have gotten to this level of strength Irma now has before, with the storm surge possibly reaching 25 feet in the Bahamas on Thursday.

The main questions now are how much Irma might weaken after passing over land in the Caribbean and when it will make a northerly trek. If it is west of Florida, rather than east of the state, the impact will be much more catastrophic.

That shift should come sometime over the weekend. Forecasters say they expect to be tracking Irma into mid-September, at which point it is expected to be a tropical storm or tropical depression.

For more on Irma, check the National Hurricane Center's website here.

Check back to Daily Voice for updates.

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