TORNADO WARNING ISSUED FOR BREVARD: Hurricane Irma About to Hit Florida Keys
By Space Coast Daily // September 10, 2017
Winds in Brevard are expected to be about 50 mile per hour, with gusts up to 65 mph.
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER – On Sunday morning, Brevard County is under a Tornado Watch, and the center of Hurricane Irma is located about 20 miles east-southeast of Key West, moving toward the north-northwest near 8 mph, and an increase in forward speed is expected later today, with that motion continuing through Monday.
The storm will hit the Tampa Bay area by early Monday morning, with Brevard predicted to be impacted by effects of the 350 miles wide storm about the same time.
According to the National Weather Service in Melbourne, winds in Brevard are expected to be about 50 mile per hour, with gusts up to 65 mph.
Brevard and Osceola counties are under tornado watches until noon Sunday, the National Weather Service said.
On the forecast track, the eye of Irma should move over the Lower Florida Keys shortly, and then move near or over the west coast of the Florida Peninsula later today through tonight.
Irma should then move inland over northern Florida and southwestern Georgia Monday afternoon. Maximum sustained winds are near 130 mph with higher gusts.
Irma is a CAT 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
While weakening is forecast, Irma is expected to remain a powerful hurricane while it moves through the Florida Keys and near the west coast of Florida. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles (130 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 220 miles (350 km).
A wind gust to 89 mph was recently measured at the Key West National Weather Service Forecast Office. Sustained winds of 46 mph with a gust to 72 mph was recently reported at Tamiami Airport in West Kendall, Florida. The estimated minimum central pressure is 929 mb (27.43 inches).
A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for South Santee River southward to Jupiter Inlet, north Miami Beach southward around the Florida peninsula to the Ochlockonee River, including the Florida Keys and Tampa Bay.
The water is expected to reach the following HEIGHTS ABOVE GROUND if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:
• Cape Sable to Captiva…10 to 15 ft
• Captiva to Ana Maria Island…6 to 10 ft
• Card Sound Bridge through Cape Sable, including the Florida Keys… 5 to 10 ft
• Ana Maria Island to Clearwater Beach, including Tampa Bay…5 to 8 ft
• North Miami Beach to Card Sound Bridge, including Biscayne Bay…3 to 5 ft
• South Santee River to Fernandina Beach…4 to 6 ft
• Clearwater Beach to Ochlockonee River…4 to 6 ft
• Fernandina Beach to Jupiter Inlet…2 to 4 ft
• North of North Miami Beach to Jupiter Inlet…1 to 2 ft
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Fernandina Beach southward around the Florida peninsula to Indian Pass including the Florida Keys, Lake Okeechobee and Florida Bay. A Hurricane Watch is in effect from north of Fernandina Beach to Edisto Beach. Tornadoes are possible through tonight, mainly across southern, central, and eastern portions of the Florida Peninsula.
