A few quick thoughts on Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Irma satellite imagery. NOAA.gov

I generally don't cover big storm events like Hurricane Irma. I have said in the past that weather is not one of my areas of expertise. But I think I should break that rule for Hurricane Irma. The storm looks like it will be a historically huge one and could be an utter disaster if it makes landfall at it's current strength. 

It's a category 5 storm and even for a category 5 storm it's incredibly powerful. I am hearing that it is one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recorded history. I have seen reports of sustained winds of 200 MPH and it is on the path to hit Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Cuba and the US Virgin Islands and is likely to continue on to hit the United States. 

This is the last thing we need right now. We are still trying to recover from Hurricane Harvey which did massive damage to Texas and parts of Louisiana. That storm fortunately didn't kill that many people but it did massive amounts of damage and cost billions of dollars. Normally that would be a tough blow, but it looks like we will have to go through the same thing twice with an even more powerful storm. Expect a major economic impact from Hurricane Imra. 

Finally, I have to admit that I am happy I live in Wisconsin. The worst things we have here are the occasional tornado and blizzards. Though tornadoes are indeed scary, I went through a F-0 a few years back, they are rare. Blizzards are only a problem if  you have to drive in them, which I do. Still, we have nothing like these horrible hurricanes...