Hurricane Irma seen from the International Space Station
Irma has now officially become the most powerful hurricane in history created in the Atlantic. With some sustained winds of almost 300km / h, and a size similar to that of France, continues its advance causing great damage. Its strength is so great that even seismographs can notice its presence. It has already touched the Caribbean islands of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda. And right now it is heading towards Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the State of Florida.
The mayor of Miami-Dade, Carlos Giménez, has assured that "Hurricane Irma represents a serious threat to Florida, South-Dade and our area in particular". There are mass evacuation orders in various areas. As well they have provided a map for people living in Miami and nearby areas, on evacuation zones depending on the risk of staying there during the very possible passage of the hurricane. In addition to strong winds, heavy rains and dangerous floods are expected wherever it passes.
The perfect conditions that have given rise to Irma
According to the warnings of meteorologists, and even the state of emergency, they assure that its impact could be much more catastrophic than expected. A good example is Harvey, which underwent a very strong intensification before making landfall. Irma, despite having reached category 5, does not seem to follow the normal pattern of the rest of the Atlantic hurricanes. Usually when a hurricane had reached the maximum category, they used to be more "fragile", and there was always a rare phenomenon. Irma has endured.
Among the most relevant factors, the sea temperature is between 1 and 1ºC warmer, which makes it a stronger hurricane. The wind shear is low, that is, the air can move more freely up and out. No Sahara dust clouds circulating in the Atlantic, and it's fast enough that the warm water rising from the hurricane has an impact on its temperature. In addition to the fact that she has not yet touched down, all these factors have played a role in helping Irma become what she is.
The question that remains and is also being discussed lately is, will the Saffir Simpson scale have to be increased to category 6?