Hurricane Irma has begun to make landfall in southern Florida Sunday morning has a powerful category four storm with sustained winds at 130 mph. Key West was the first to suffer Irma’s wrath as the small Island underwent and continues to experience those dangerous and damaging winds as well as a deadly storm surge which can be seen by these videos from those witnessing the storm first hand.
Eyewall and Storm Surge !! #HurricaneIrma #KeyWest pic.twitter.com/jI9kItZWqJ
— Mike Theiss (@MikeTheiss) September 10, 2017
The storm surge water is coming in very fast !! #keywest #irma pic.twitter.com/i2qwAzL0nh
— Mike Theiss (@MikeTheiss) September 9, 2017
Eyewall !!! #KeyWest #HurricaneIrma pic.twitter.com/MCcJ8CWZuc
— Mike Theiss (@MikeTheiss) September 10, 2017
8:39am North bound lane of US 1 is impassible. South bound lane remains relatively clear. #HurricaneIrma pic.twitter.com/yih5hvS2RJ
— Gadi Schwartz (@GadiNBC) September 10, 2017
Miami and Miami Beach has begun to see sustained winds around 80 mph as the storm continues to make landfall. The wind is expected to increase as Irma starts to make a north by northwest track up the western coast of the state towards Fort Meyers and Tampa.
#BREAKING tornado coming ashore then breaks up as it moves off the ocean onto land here in #FortLauderdale @CBSMiami pic.twitter.com/Brv3ETfGbu
— Mike LaCrosse (@MikeLaCrosseWBZ) September 9, 2017
BIGGER DANGERS STILL YET TO COME?
As Irma makes her way up the west coast of Florida the eye wall is expected to stay slightly off shore which isn’t the best news for residents in those areas. With the eye wall staying slightly off shore it’ll start to pull more water in from the Gulf of Mexico creating a larger storm surge as it continues to move towards the north.
Via the Washington Post:
The vicious storm is next set to wallop Florida’s west coast hardest, with a combination of destructive winds and a devastating storm surge. Winds in excess of 100 mph could batter numerous population centers along Florida’s west coast, including Naples and Fort Myers and up the coast to Tampa. And coastal waters could rise 10 to 15 feet above normally dry land, completely inundating homes, businesses, and roads.
“The Keys through Tampa will likely experience the worst storm surge event that area has seen in generations,” said Bill Read, a former director of the National Hurricane Center.