MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Hurricane Irma is picking up intensity over the Eastern Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Satellite images indicate Irma is now a category two hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph. The National Hurricane Center predicts Irma will become a major hurricane by Thursday night and is forecasted to be “an extremely dangerous hurricane for the next several days.”
As of 11 a.m. Thursday, Hurricane Irma is located about 650 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands and about 1,845 miles east of the Leeward Islands. Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph and is expected to continue that general motion through Friday morning, shifting to a westward motion Saturday.
The system is predicted to become a category 4 east of the Leeward Islands next week. Irma is not an immediate threat to land, reports the National Hurricane Center.
