News weather

Rain departs the northeast as Hurricane Irma approaches the US

The rain that marked the first day of classes for the 2017 – 2018 school year will not last long. As a cold front and its associated low pressure system move off the east coast, slightly cooler temperatures and much drier air will push into the region from the northwest. A strong high pressure center is expected to develop in their wake over the weekend, centered over New York. This high pressure system will be pivotal in determining the track of Major Hurricane Irma as it approaches the continental US over the weekend and into next week. Irma is currently located just north of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. It is forecast to approach Florida on Sunday before making a sharp right turn to the north and potentially impacting Florida, Georgia, and/or the Carolinas. The high pressure system over our region is expected to extend into the Atlantic Ocean and prevent Irma from going out to sea. Hurricane Irma made history as the strongest Atlantic Hurricane on record outside of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico when it attained a minimum pressure of 914 mb (hPa) with 185 mph sustained winds late Tuesday. It has already impacted many of the northern Caribbean islands, and preparation are well underway in places where the storm could travel next such as the Bahamas and Cuba.