Irma comes on the heels of Hurricane Harvey, now also a tropical storm, which has flooded parts of Texas.
As rescue crews from across the country are pitching in to help save people from Tropical Storm Harvey’s deadly floodwaters in Texas, Tropical Storm Irma is blowing up in the Atlantic Ocean. Irma could reach hurricane strength by late Thursday or Friday.
The National Hurricane Center on Wednesday said Irma is „steadily intensifying over the far eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean.“ The storm’s maximum sustained winds are nearing 60 mph, and packing wind gusts higher than that.
Irma is expected to get stronger by Friday.
For the latest on Irma’s path, check here .
The storm is about 480 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands. And while Irma is expected to turn west-northwest, the hurricane center said the storm is not an immediate threat to land.
Meteorologists are watching Irma as they continue to track Harvey, which roared ashore in Texas late last week as a Category 4 hurricane. It slowed and stalled, flooding Houston and other parts of the Texas.
While many evacuated ahead of Harvey, thousands have been rescued in the last five days.
