11 September, 2017
Hurricane Katia - one of three swirling south of the United States - strengthened to a Category 3 storm off Mexico's gulf waters, forecasters said Friday. It's a small sample size, but four concurrent hurricanes seems to be a once-in-a-century event.
"The ultimate track of Jose is uncertain, but if it recurves over the Atlantic it could impact our European pattern in around 10 days time".
The storm has maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour and is almost stationary, moving east-southeast at 2 miles per hour. In a worst case scenario, Miami would take a direct hit.
A storm surge of 5 to 8 feet is possible.
The closest land mass Jose will approach is the northern Leeward Islands, the same ones Irma just devastated.
Hurricane Katia is relatively stationary, about 200 miles east of Tampico, Mexico as of 11am ET.
Hurricane Harvey decimated parts of Texas and damaged southwest Louisiana when it hit the region, at the end of August, destroying billions of dollars worth of property. Hurricane Allen in 1980 is the other Atlantic storm to hold Category 5 strength for a combined three days. It's now about 180 miles northeast of Veracruz, and it's barely moving. Hurricane watches have now been issued for the islands of Antigua and Barbuda.
Rainfall from Katia could "cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, especially in areas of mountainous terrain", the hurricane center warned. Nothing too severe yet, but nothing to trifle with either.
