At 500 PM AST (2100 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 18.8 North, longitude 65.4 West. Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days. On the forecast track, the extremely dangerous core of Irma will pass just north of Puerto Rico tonight, pass near or just north of the coast of Hispaniola Thursday, and be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas by Thursday evening. –ADVISORY LINK–

Maximum sustained winds are near 185 mph (295 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days.
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For those unfamiliar with the geography of Florida the forecast concerns may seem to be unusually high.  This is not the case.  It is not alarm to be prepared. Safety and prudent decision-making should be the #1 priority of every Florida resident.  That said, Bryan Norcross has some exceptional insight and advice:

Bryan Norcross Twitter Account HERE – Bryan Norcross Facebook HERE

As anticipated Hurricane Irma has strengthened to a severe category 5 storm. At 200 PM AST (1800 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 16.9 North, longitude 59.1 West. Irma is moving toward the west near 14 mph (22 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue today, followed by a turn toward the west-northwest tonight. –ADVISORY HERE–

On the forecast track, the extremely dangerous core of Irma is forecast to move over portions of the northern Leeward Islands tonight and early Wednesday.
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The latest update from the national hurricane center lists Hurricane Irma as a strong category 4 storm with wind speeds of 150 MPH.  However, strengthening is anticipated and Cat 5 scale begins at 157 MPH.   At 5:00am the eye was located at latitude 16.6 North,
longitude 56.4 West, moving West at 13 MPH. –ADVISORY HERE–

Due to the severity of this storm and the uncertain forecast track, all Florida Residents South of I-4 on both coasts should be checking every update and begin verification of their  Hurricane supplies, hurricane plan and be paying close attention to local officials.
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Hurricane Irma is churning through the south Atlantic and has been upgraded to a category FOUR storm.  Wind speeds have increased to 130 MPH and it is heading almost due East from it’s current location: latitude 16.7 North, longitude 54.4 West.  Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours.  –ADVISORY HERE–

After review of the storm path over the last 12 hours, Florida Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency.  There are strong indications that Florida will be impacted by this storm; however, the exact location of that impact remains unknown.  All initial preparations should be underway for all residents in the path of this storm.
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Today appears to be the apex of cumulative rainfall for Texas. However, the downstream watershed continues to create massive community flooding and forcing ongoing rescue efforts in a widening circle East of Houston Texas.  Some shelters are now being flooded.
(REUTERS) “The worst is not yet over for southeast Texas as far as the rain is concerned,” Governor Greg Abbott said, referring to the area that includes Beaumont and Port Arthur.
He warned residents of the storm-hit areas to expect flood waters to linger for up to a week and said that the area affected by the storm was larger than that hit by 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 people in New Orleans, and 2012’s Super-storm Sandy, which killed 132 around New York and New Jersey.
The population of Houston’s metropolitan area alone is about 6.5 million, far greater than New Orleans’ at the time of Katrina. Abbott asked that the federal government agree to spend more on rebuilding Texas’ Gulf Coast than it did after the earlier storms.
Floodwaters inundated part of Port Arthur’s Bob Bowers Civic Center, forcing the residents who had sought shelter there into the bleachers, according to photos posted to social media.
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President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, along with State and Federal emergency officials meet with Texas senators, congressional representatives and several cabinet officers in Austin Texas to discuss the ongoing rescue, relief and recovery efforts for the entire East Texas region.

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Ongoing record rainfall from TS Harvey continues to bring record flooding to East Texas.  Almost 25 inches of rain has fallen on the region following Hurricane Harvey’s landfall last weekend.  As the rain continues, weather forecasters now anticipating peak water on Wednesday or Thursday as Harvey’s rain begins impacting Southwest Louisiana. [Reuters Picture Gallery Here]  Texas is only about half-way through the anticipated impact timeline.
Thousands of rescue missions have taken place, most by ordinary citizens using private boats and vessels to retrieve stranded residents in the area.  12,000 National Guard troops are working 24/7, and volunteers from several states have arrived to supplement local, state and federal search and rescue efforts.

TEXAS – A new record daily max rainfall of 16.07 inches was set at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on Sunday, breaking the old record of 8.32 inches from 1945, according to National Weather Service (NWS) measurements. The airport was closed in the wake of Harvey.
In the last two days, 24.44 inches of rain has fallen in Houston, the NWS reported on Monday. The rainfall from Harvey has already made this August the wettest month on record for Houston.

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President Trump’s Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert appears on CBS ‘Face the Nation’ to discuss the ongoing efforts to assist the people in the impact zone from Hurricane Harvey.