Far out over the Atlantic, Hurricane Irma was expected to remain a powerful storm throughout the weekend while following a course that could bring it near the eastern Caribbean Sea by early next week.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Saturday morning that the storm “continues to fluctuate in strength but remains a powerful hurricane.” Irma now has maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, the NHC said.
Irma had strengthened to a Category 3 on Thursday, with maximum sustained winds near 120 mph.
The storm is located about 1,320 miles east of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean and moving toward the west at 14 mph. It is expected to move toward the west-southwest over the next several days, the NHC said.
Forecasters said Irma was expected to “remain a powerful hurricane into early next week.” No coastal watches or warnings were in effect.
Irma formed on the heels of Hurricane Harvey, which struck the Gulf Coast of Texas Aug. 26. Thousands have been displaced by the storm due to torrential rain and flooding.
A “forecast cone” showing the probable path of the storm center of Hurricane Irma, as of the morning of Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017.
Tropical Storm Lidia
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Lidia marched up Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula on Saturday, dumping more heavy rains on a region where it has already flooded streets and homes, stranded tourists and left at least four people dead.
Authorities said the death toll could rise over the weekend as emergency crews surveyed the damage in villages with ramshackle homes. One person was considered missing and video broadcast on local networks showed vehicles being swept away by flooded rivers.
Destroyed cars and debris caused heavy rains following the passage of tropical storm Lidia in Los Cabos, Baja California, Mexico on September 1, 2017.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Lidia made landfall early Friday west of La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur state.
Lidia’s wind strength had eased to 45 mph Saturday morning, and further weakening was forecast. The center said Lidia was expected to become a remnant low pressure system by Sunday.
The storm was centered about 70 miles east-southeast of Punta Eugenia and was heading northwest at about 12 mph.
Lidia earlier spread rains over a broad swath of Mexico including the capital, where it was blamed for flooding that briefly closed the city’s airport this week.