Finally managed to get some water bottles for the hurricane, along with some bread and jam to create some sandwiches if the power goes out. The forecast looked like it may miss Miami and track to the East or West. However, even if the eye of the storm misses Miami, the wind and rain would still be extremely damaging.
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7 September 2017:
I'm currently preparing for Hurricane Irma by collecting some last minute essential supplies such as non-perishable foods, sleep medication and most importantly, cases of water. We managed to reach out local supermarket when they were receiving a shipment of crates of water, so we managed to pick up 36 litres of water before the shipments ended.
Anyway, the forecast for Hurricane Irma is dire. Very dire. The hurricane is not really slowing down much as it passes through The Caribbean, with winds currently at 175 mph (~280 km/h) just North of Haiti and Cuba as I write this. The forecast is for the hurricane to cross the Straits of Florida and possibly make landfall in Miami-Dade County. Alternatively, the track could cause the eye to traverse as far West as Key West, Florida; or as far East as Bimini, The Bahamas. However, I iterate that even if the eye does not hit Miami (which does not look likely at the moment) we will still get some incredible wind and rain, which will most certainly be damaging.
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8 September 2017:
I can definitely feel the strength of the increasing wind over here in Miami. Although the winds are no way near the strength that will be occurring throughout the coming days, the speed of 20 mph is a very significant speed increase.
As far as I am aware, the wind speed will probably increase dramatically starting around 08:00 EDT tomorrow morning (9 Sep 2017), with tropical storm conditions expected (>39 mph) around 11:00 that same morning. Hurricane conditions are not expected until around 20:00 on the evening of the 9th. The worst of Hurricane Irma should arrive between the night of the 9th and the night of the 10th. Optimistically, Hurricane Irma in Miami should be ending by Monday 11 September.
As for the track is concerned, Hurricane Irma may move to the West of Miami, possibly impacting Fort Myers, FL. Alternatively, the track could go as far West as Key West, FL (United States) or as far East as Bimini (The Bahamas). However, no matter where Irma goes, it will bring with it a trail of destruction including potentially Category 5 winds and up to 20" of rain.
As of 20:00 EDT there has been an update that is more favourable towards Miami. The latest track shows that Hurricane Irma could track up towards the Florida Keys and reach Key West and Fort Myers. Indeed as I write this, Hurricane Irma may be about to strike the Cuban cays and possibly even the main island. If it does this then Irma could slow down dramatically, which would be excellent news for Florida. Therefore, the chances of a Miami direct hit are not impossible, but the chances have diminished greatly. However, according to the local TV stations, even if the hurricane keeps this current track, Miami would receive conditions similar to Hurricane Wilma or Katrina, both from 2005, but Category 3 winds are much better than the Category 5 winds predicted even earlier today. Please bear in mind though that the situation could change at any moment, so I'm keeping a good eye on the storm's potential path, and update you whenever necessary until our home loses power (should it lose power)
There is also the possibly of me experiencing tornadoes when the hurricane hits. Given the current track, Miami will be in what is known as the 'dirty sector' of the storm, aka the North East of the hurricane, which is usually the second worst area of the hurricane, only behind the eye wall in intensity. Fortunately, if tornadoes do indeed form, they will most likely be weak. In hurricanes, it is often the storm surge and rain, and not the wind, that causes the most intense damage.
This may be my last update before Hurricane Irma reaches South Florida. To the readers of my blog, I pray for the best concerning Hurricane Irma, and I express my condolences to the people already affected and will be affected by one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded.
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9 September 2017:
As of the 05:00 advisory, Hurricane Irma is expected to continue tracking West, after trailing Cuba. If this track continues to be true, Miami may not get the majority of the hurricane, possibly receiving a Category 1 hurricane with maximum 80 mph winds. If this is true, then this is brilliant news for Miami, although the same cannot be seen for the Florida Keys, who are still expecting a Category 4 hurricane.
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10 September 2017
11:30 - We have just lost power, which means that I have just lost internet connection so therefore I will be unable to post anything until power is restored, which let’s just face it - power will probably not get restored until tomorrow when the winds weaken considerably. Speaking of winds we have recorded 80 mph wind gusts, which is Category 1 hurricane force winds.
The strongest winds occurred at around 14:30, with at least Category 1 sustained winds, and Category 2 wind gusts. That being said, the impact here in Miami is far less worse than when Hurricane Irma hit near Key West at around 09:00. They have had Category 4 winds throughout the day and only now are the gusts beginning to decline in South Florida. Irma then tracked northwards towards Naples and Fort Myers by this evening, and I would not be too surprised if areas such as Tampa and Sarasota receive the eye of the storm tonight.
As of 19:30 we still have no power and the home has got muggy inside, but not hot. The temperature inside is around 27°C (80°F) as of 20:15 this evening.
Also as of 20:15 this evening, there was this fantastical blue light from outside our house to the South and the South East of the home. As of yet I am unsure what caused this flash of intense blue light that contrasted against the darkness of night; although I speculate that an electricity generator or some power lines exploded in the distance, which may have caused the humongous explosion that I witnessed this evening. If this is true, then there is the thought of having no power for potentially days on end, which here in South Florida is a terrible prospect due to the extreme humidity of Florida.
[POWER WAS RESTORED AT 15:15 ON 11/09/2017]
