While Category 5 Hurricane Irma has roared toward the Caribbean, many in Middle Tennessee have been keeping a close watch on the storm.
Irma was churning in the Atlantic Tuesday, and was headed west with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Nashville have been tracking the storm. They have released weather balloons 4 times a day, rather than the regular 2 times a day. The extra balloons were expected to provide additional data, including temperature, wind and wind speed that will help predict which direction the storm will go.
Talking with meteorologists at @NWSNashville about how they are tracking #HurricaneIrma. pic.twitter.com/rZf3AzMXf7
— Emily Luxen (@NC5_EmilyLuxen) September 5, 2017
“There is a lot of uncertainty right now,” said meteorologist Matt Reagan. “At this point, it is way too far out to know how it will impact our weather.”
Reagan said the storm was already one of the most intense storms on record ever in the Atlantic.The only one stronger was Hurricane Allen in 1980, which spent more time as a Category 5 storm than any other Atlantic hurricane. Allen's top wind speed was 190 mph.
At the American Red Cross office in Nashville, staff members were also watching Irma’s projected path.
It has been a busy couple of weeks at the Red Cross, as at least 30 people were still in Texas helping in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Another 130 new volunteers have been trained in the Nashville area in the last week. Red Cross officials said they were prepared to respond to another massive storm.
“Right now, we are deploying people to Florida so they are in place if something does happen,” said Sarah Basel, Regional Communications Director for the American Red Cross. “One of the great things about the Red Cross is we prepare year round. We are prepared to handle multiple storms at once.”
Basel said volunteers typically help open shelters and hand out food to people impacted by the storms.
Additional volunteer trainings at the American Red Cross at 2201 Charlotte Avenue in Nashville are scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 5 from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 6 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 6 from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. There are still spots open in all sessions. Participants must register ahead of time. Interested parties should email bobby.young@redcross.org or call 615-250-4300, option 1.
Financial donations can also be made to the American Red Cross by texting Red Cross to 90999 or calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or visiting redcross.org.
