Hurricane Irma: Storm’s Worst Likely To Stay West Of The Carolinas

CHARLOTTE, NC -- Hurricane Irma’s forecasted westward march Sunday will spare the Carolinas of much of its tropical storm wrath, bringing less than two inches of rain to the Charlotte area. The Queen City region could see, however, wind gusts up to 36 mph on Tuesday, according to National Weather Service forecasters.

Hurricane Irma was on track make landfall in the lower Florida Keys early Sunday morning with an eventual course set for the state's west coast. The storm officially made the anticipated turn to the north-northwest and the Sunshine state by 8 p.m. Saturday. Downgraded to a Category 3 after tearing through Cuba, the hurricane built new power as it passed over the warm water of the Florida Straits, and Hurricane Irma reached Category 4 strength again by 2 a.m., the National Hurricane Center said.

The ferocious storm that tore through the Caribbean, leaving at least 20 people dead in its wake, was packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph was crawling at 8 mph as she moved toward South Florida.

Watch: Hurricane Irma Officially Arrives In Florida

On its current projected path, Irma is expected to cross over the Florida Keys Sunday morning before beginning a potentially devastating trek north, along the west coast through Monday morning. Forecasters expect Irma to make it well into the Sunshine State before losing major hurricane status.

Tropical storm watches and warnings went into effect throughout Georgia Sunday morning, with a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch still in effect along much of the South Carolina coast.

See also:

• Hurricane Irma: Evacuees Land in North Carolina
• Where To Find Gas In North Carolina: Hurricane Irma Evacuation
• Hurricane Irma: Gov. Cooper Warns ‘We Can’t Let Our Guard Down’
• Hurricane Irma: Almost 3 Million Predicted To Be Without Power
• Hurricane Irma: How North Carolina Can Prepare

Patch Editor Sherri Lonon contributed to this report.

Images via the National Weather Service

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