Hurricane Irma was last night pummelling the Turks and Caicos islands as it continued its trail of destruction across the Caribbean where at least 10 deaths have so far been recorded.
Forecasters say the Category 5 hurricane has top sustained winds of 175 mph (280 kph) and is expected to remain powerful for the next couple of days. Late yesterday, Irma was centred about 55 miles (85 kilometres) west-southwest of Grand Turk Island and is moving west-northwest at 16 mph (26 kph).
In the Atlantic, Category 3 Hurricane Jose is moving toward the northern Leeward Islands. Jose has maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph) and is moving west-northwest at 18 mph (30 kph). The storm was about 540 miles (870 kilometres) east of the Lesser Antilles.
Meanwhile, US Air Force hurricane hunter aircraft were yesterday on the way to investigate Hurricane Katia in the Gulf of Mexico. Katia was stationary about 190 miles (310 kilometres) north-northeast of Veracruz, Mexico, and forecasters didn’t expect much movement overnight. It has top winds of 80 mph (130 kph).
