Category 5 hurricane headed for Florida

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Hurricane Irma is carving a swath of destruction across the Caribbean, one island at a time: link.

The eye of the most powerful Atlantic Ocean storm in recorded history is currently passing over the British Virgin Islands, the US National Hurricane Center has said.

Hurricane Irma has destroyed buildings and caused major flooding on several Caribbean islands, as British tourists are evacuated from the region amid warnings the storm will be "potentially catastrophic".

The island of Barbuda was the first to bear the brunt of Hurricane Irma - a category five storm with winds of 185mph - early on Wednesday, churning along a path pointing to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba before possibly hitting Florida over the weekend.

[The Romulan Republic]

So now Florida's going to get blasted, along with Puerto Rico, just like Texas did a week or two back...

Strongest in history, too.

But climate change definitely isn't real... Or so says our "President" (who incidentally just nominated a climate denier Congressman with no scientific training to be NASA Administrator).

[Zaune]

Well, this blows...

Sorry. Better to laugh than cry, right?

[aerius]

Intensity on this storm is pretty much off the charts, they've basically run out of colours on the infrared images.
Irma is currently tied for 2nd place on the list of strongest tropical cyclones to ever make landfall.
And from the latest airplane recon data, it's still intensifying.

Someone on another board described this as a Pacific super typhoon that got lost and ended up in the Atlantic, because you just don't see monster storms like this in the Atlantic basin.

[SolarpunkFan]

Intensity on this storm is pretty much off the charts, they've basically run out of colours on the infrared images.
Irma is currently tied for 2nd place on the list of strongest tropical cyclones to ever make landfall.
And from the latest airplane recon data, it's still intensifying.

Snip img.

Holy shit...

And it's not alone anymore.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/cyclones/

That's THREE Atlantic cyclones at once.

[Flagg]

Bye hometown.

[Broomstick]

They've been lofting a LOT of weather balloons from the American mainland at least as far out as my area, Chicago, in an attempt to get better information on high-level broad-scale weather patterns. I think they're looking for good news. It's...not really forthcoming.

This is definitely an epic blow.

Reports are starting to filter out of Antigua and Barbuda. There may not be any intact structures left on Barbuda. Horrific stories of people having to run through the storm when they building they sheltered in was literally blown away, running for cover with cars, trucks, and cargo containers flying through the air above them, people tying themselves to structures in an attempt to not be blown away. First floors of buildings entirely flooded out. Just really apocalyptic stuff. Help is on the way to the two islands but it's a mess any way you look at it.

Oh, and more good news: FEMA says that after Irma fucks up Florida they expect they'll be out of money. And the storm season is far from over, not to mention the 18 or so wildfires out west, the Fall tornado season is about to start in Tornado Alley, and... well, think I'l double-check my emergency supplies. Can't hurt, right?

[momochan]

It seems to me that conservatives are doing to climate change what they accuse liberals of doing to radical you-know-what terrorism: refusing to call it by name.

[Flagg]

It seems to me that conservatives are doing to climate change what they accuse liberals of doing to radical you-know-what terrorism: refusing to call it by name.

No, we call radical right wing terrorism as it is.

But back on topic, this bitch looks to be doing what I thought. Taking that right hook and going right up the east coast of FL. Hope my friends are safe and my family ignores evac orders.

Don't judge me, my family has it coming.

I'm glad I cleared out when I did. I'll take volcanoes, wildfires (Right now it looks like Mordor outside. Not even remotely kidding. Smells like a bonfire, is hot as hell, and the sun is a small red dot you can look at directly), and earthquakes over the hell that is hurricanes.

[Gaidin]

The latest prediction...among others, this is gonna be painful:

[Flagg]

God damn. Sometimes I hate being right. Still, not getting the northeastern (the strongest) part so hopefully that will mitigate some of the damage.

But fuck, I gotta keep telling myself "You're not in Florida anymore" over and over because I'm getting "triggered" pretty fucking bad.

[Gaidin]

I spent like...100$ the last 3 days just getting food when one of the predictions was god damn virginia just in case. And who knows what it's low level forms will be after it runs up Florida. When it hits the tip I may still find myself running out for the rest of what I need. >.<

[Soontir C'boath]

Deploy the Jaegers, the Kaiju must be stopped at all cost!

Should be interesting to see if it tracks up to New York City.

[aerius]

Sea surface temperatures.
If Irma manages to shoot the gap and avoid major landfalls in the islands, the potential is bad, really bad. Plenty of fuel & moisture to keep feeding this monster storm all the way to Florida.

[Flagg]

Sea surface temperatures.
If Irma manages to shoot the gap and avoid major landfalls in the islands, the potential is bad, really bad. Plenty of fuel & moisture to keep feeding this monster storm all the way to Florida.

Yeah. It's going to be worse than anything I've been through. Irma's making my balls try to take shelter. I wasn't kidding about the PTSD, I feel my face going pale seeing that track.

[Broomstick]

So... when is NOAA going to go from saying "catastrophic" to "apocalyptic" in its warnings?

[LadyTevar]

I'm sorry, I have to laugh at the ones showing Irma going up to WV. While she might, she'll certainly be no more than a tropical depression if that by the time she goes over the Appalachians. We've had the remnants of hurricanes hit before, but it's just another bad thunderstorm by then. The Derecho of 2013 did more damage than any hurricane that got us.

[Flagg]

So... when is NOAA going to go from saying "catastrophic" to "apocalyptic" in its warnings?

[Grammar Nazi]Well "apocalypse" means "unveiling" so...[/Grammar Nazi]

But it's definitely time to add "category 6" to the scale.

[atg]

Don't think I'd have wanted to be on this flight.

[LaCroix]

News indicate that Berbuda is 'barely inhabitable', pretty much everything pressure washed off it. That same will happen to most of the Antilles.

Chances are that Jose will hit whatever they manage to salvage as a cat 2 or 3 about the time Irma is going to reshape Florida.

This is starting to look like a chapter of Salvation War...

[Flagg]

This is starting to look like a chapter of Salvation War...

Come on now, let's not get carried away. It's a hurricane not an abortion.

Yeah, I'm going to hell, even if it is just nervous gallows humor. I just hope none of my friends on the East coast of Florida aren't waiting for me when I get there.

[Broomstick]

News indicate that Berbuda is 'barely inhabitable', pretty much everything pressure washed off it. That same will happen to most of the Antilles.

Chances are that Jose will hit whatever they manage to salvage as a cat 2 or 3 about the time Irma is going to reshape Florida.

Given that there are only about 2,000 people on Barbuda I wonder if it makes more sense to simple evacuate the entire island until the storms are past, then bring them back and rebuild in better weather?

[SolarpunkFan]

Dear GOP, I hope it was worth spending the last ~30 years laughing at the people warning you about AGW. I don't think you'll be laughing for much longer now that the climate refugee thing looks set to hit our neck of the woods.

[The Romulan Republic]

Mara Lago's in Florida, isn't it?

I dearly hope that Trump's precious golf resort gets flooded out. If there's any justice, he should have to personally fit the bill for at least part of the damage caused by the climate change he dismisses and ignores.

Oh, who am I kidding? He'll probably find some way to rebuild it using public money. Or loans from Russia.

[Flagg]

News indicate that Berbuda is 'barely inhabitable', pretty much everything pressure washed off it. That same will happen to most of the Antilles.

Chances are that Jose will hit whatever they manage to salvage as a cat 2 or 3 about the time Irma is going to reshape Florida.

Given that there are only about 2,000 people on Barbuda I wonder if it makes more sense to simple evacuate the entire island until the storms are past, then bring them back and rebuild in better weather?

Not sure about that. I don't know much about it (never heard of it until yesterday) but generally you want to get aid to them, rather than get them to aid. Plus you will always have the standard idiots who will refuse to leave (in FL it was people who lived right on the beach or in mobile homes) because <dumb reason due to feeling invincible or pride> so unless the evacuation is at gunpoint I don't know that they can get everyone out.

There's also the logistical issue. How do you get 2000 people off an island (that may not have functioning harbors) before the next storm hits? Where do you take them? What is some of them don't want to go back?