Earlier today, Irene strengthened into the season’s first hurricane. This broke a streak of eight consecutive tropical storms to begin the 2011 season without a hurricane. It also marks the first time in over 50 years that the first eight named storms of the season did not attain hurricane strength
Our Miami storm damage attorneys continue to report that South Florida has entered the height of hurricane season. Indeed, this the eighth named storm of what promises to be an active hurricane season.
Hurricane Irene, now packing 100-mph winds that make it a Category 2 hurricane, passed Monday north of the island of Hispaniola, home to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was heading for the Bahamas.
The move prompted a warning from the National Hurricane Center in Miami that Hurricane Irene will likely intensify to a Category 3 storm with winds of 115 mph over the Bahamas by Thursday.
More than a million people in Puerto Rico saw their power cut off Monday, as Hurricane Irene passed about 105 miles west of San Juan. Hurricane Irene also walloped the British Virgin Islands, bringing lightning that was the likely culprit in a fire that destroyed billionaire Richard Branson’s Caribbean home. Guests, including the Academy Award-winning actress Kate Winslet, escaped the fire uninjured.
Projections for South Florida
Most computer forecast models show Hurricane Irene traveling parallel to Florida’s east coast starting Thursday with possible eventual landfall on the Georgia or South Carolina coast early on Saturday.
Forecasters said a low pressure trough over the eastern United States was expected to shift Hurricane Irene’s track to the east, reducing the risk of a direct landfall in densely populated South Florida but raising the risk in the Carolinas.
If you are facing a dispute over an insurance claim in Florida, contact Alvarez & Barbara, LLP toll free at 866-518-2913 for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.