Irma Now Strongest Atlantic Hurricane On Record Outside Gulf, Caribbean

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - Hurricane Irma continues to grow in the Atlantic Ocean and has set a new record.

According to the National Hurricane Center Irma had sustained winds of 185 mph as of their 2 p.m. AST advisory. Irma is now the strongest hurricane on record in the Atlantic Basin outside of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

While there is still a lot of uncertainty in the final track, there is high confidence that this storm will tear a potentially deadly path from the Northern Leeward Islands to Florida, impacting several places in between, including the southern Bahamas and Puerto Rico.

Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane expert at Colorado State University, tweeted Tuesday morning that only six other tropical systems in the Atlantic Basin have had winds of 180 mph or greater.

They include Allen, Wilma, Gilbert, Mitch, Rita and the Florida Keys Hurricane of 1935.

Hurricanes are tropical cyclones found in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Meteorologist Chris Spears travels weekly in the CBS4 Mobile Weather Lab reporting about Colorado's weather and climate. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.

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• Hurricane Irma