(CNN) While much attention remains on Texas and the destruction left by Hurricane Harvey and its historic rainfall , powerful Hurricane Irma is rapidly intensifying in the open Atlantic and poses a major threat to the Caribbean and potentially to the United States next week. 
 
 Satellite image taken at 8 a.m. ET Friday shows Hurricane Irma in the eastern Atlantic 
 
 With the storm still five days away from the outermost Caribbean islands and at least a week away from any potential US impacts, there is still a lot of uncertainty about where it will go. 
 
 The range of possibilities presented by the forecast models more than a week out literally spreads from Mexico to Canada -- and everywhere in between. 
 
 Good bet at a casino is an intense Hurricane Irma at Cat 4 or 5. But it's still red or black on U.S. impacts. Hope it's a "fish storm" pic.twitter.com/w6rWbbGVts 
 
 Irma was designated a tropical storm Wednesday morning, and by Thursday afternoon, it had strengthened into a large Category 3 hurricane, with winds of 115 mph. 
 
 Such explosive strengthening is known as "rapid intensification," defined by the National Hurricane Center as having its wind speed increase at least 30 knots (35 mph) in 24 hours. 
 
 "Irma has become an impressive hurricane," the National Hurricane Center said Thursday, noting the rapid intensification. "This is a remarkable 50 knot (58 mph) increase from yesterday at this time." 
 
 Hurricane Harvey underwent rapid intensification just before it made landfall late last Friday, strengthening quickly from a tropical storm into a Category 4 hurricane when it moved onshore near Corpus Christi, Texas. 
 
 Hurricane kryptonite not in the mix 
 
 Irma is a classic " Cape Verde hurricane ," a type of hurricane that forms in the far eastern Atlantic, near the Cape Verde Islands (now known as the Cabo Verde Islands), then tracks all the way across the Atlantic. Cape Verde storms frequently become some of the largest and most intense hurricanes. Examples are Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Floyd, and Hurricane Ivan 
 
 Hurricane Irma is forecast to continue to strengthen as it moves westward over the next five days, and the official forecast from the National Hurricane Center puts a dangerous Category 4 Hurricane Irma on the doorstep of the Caribbean by the end of the five-day forecast on Wednesday. 
 
 #Irma has continued to strengthen over the eastern Atlantic and is now a major hurricane. Details at https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/gRAl1hzRnN — NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic) August 31, 2017 
 
 A strong high-pressure ridge to the north of Irma, over the Atlantic, is steering the storm to the west and limiting the wind shear in the upper levels of the atmosphere, which has allowed the storm to grow so quickly. Wind shear is like hurricane kryptonite, and prevents storms from forming or gaining strength. 
 
 Unfortunately, Irma will remain in a low-shear environment for the next several days, so there isn't much hope that Irma will weaken any time soon. 
 
 There is considerable confidence that Hurricane Irma will track to the west through the weekend and then take a slight jog to the southwest early next week in response "to a building ridge (of high pressure) over the central Atlantic." 
 
 From there, the forecast becomes a lot less clear, with some major differences among some of the key models meteorologists use to forecast hurricanes. The differences are so drastic that one prediction has Irma sliding harmlessly back out to sea, while in another, it makes multiple disastrous landfalls in the Caribbean and likely hits the United States after that. 
 
 Dueling prediction models 
 
 The European model, or ECMWF, and the American GFS model have had some notable showdowns before, most notably with Hurricane Sandy. 
 
 With Sandy, the ECMWF correctly predicted a landfall in the Northeast nearly a week ahead, while the GFS continually kept the storm offshore in what became a major black eye for the US weather-modeling industry . There have been other examples in which the GFS model has outperformed its European counterpart, such as with a few major snowstorms in the Northeast. 
 
 Right now, the GFS has Irma taking a more northerly track that curves to the north before it reaches the Caribbean, thus making a US landfall much less likely. 
 
 The European model keeps the storm tracking further west, nearing the Bahamas by the end of next week. 
 
 European vs American weather models 
 
 "The ECMWF sees a much stronger ridge or Bermuda High (than the GFS) which forces Irma west, whereas the GFS has a weaker ridge and a more rightward, parabolic track," said Ryan Maue, a meteorologist with WeatherBell Analytics. 
 
 "The prospects for major impacts anywhere from Cuba to Carolinas is concerning for this very reliable model," Maue said. 
 
 Irma is still more than 1,700 miles east of the Leeward Islands, and any impacts from the storm wouldn't be felt until Tuesday or Wednesday for the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico. 
 
 The forecast picture should become clearer after the weekend. 
 
 Bottom line: Hurricane Irma is already a powerful hurricane and looks to only become more so. Those with interests in the Caribbean and southeast US coast should pay close attention to the forecast. ||||| Irma may become Category 4 hurricane while tracking across Atlantic; Will it affect the US? 
 
 You will be redirected to the latest story on Irma in a moment. 
 
 While the Gulf Coast continues to deal with the devastating impacts of Harvey, emergency managers in the United States have another tropical threat to monitor by the name of Irma. 
 
 Far across the Atlantic, west of the Cabo Verde Islands, Irma is a Category 3 hurricane. 
 
 "There is the potential for Irma to ramp up to an even more powerful hurricane into early week," according to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski. 
 
 
 
 
 
 "While fluctuation in strength is likely, we expect Irma to become a Category 4 well before it reaches waters near the Lesser Antilles," Kottlowski said. 
 
 A Category 4 hurricane has sustained winds of 130-156 mph (209-251 km/h). 
 
 Subtle changes in water temperatures and atmospheric conditions, such as slightly drier air and a small patch of strong winds aloft, can cause significant fluctuations in strength in even the strongest of hurricanes. 
 
 As of early Sunday morning, Irma was located about 945 miles (1,520 km) east of the Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h). 
 
 Irma will take about a week to make its trek westward across the Atlantic Ocean. Meteorologists will likely be tracking this storm through the middle of September. 
 
 "All interests in the eastern Caribbean will need to monitor the progress of this evolving and dangerous hurricane," Kottlowski said. 
 
 "Surf will begin to build on the east-facing beaches in the Leeward and Windward islands into early week," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. 
 
 How much seas, surf and winds increase during the first part of the week will depend on the exact track of Irma. 
 
 “Steering winds will guide Irma close to the Leeward Islands and then perhaps Puerto Rico and Hispaniola during the middle days of the week,” according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Thompson. 
 
 
 
 
 
 "While the hurricane is strong, it is relatively small in size at this time," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. "Should this small size continue, severe effects from the storm may be limited to a radius 50 miles (80 km) of the center, while the storm moves through the tropics." 
 
 Locally heavy showers and gusty thunderstorms may extend beyond 100 miles (160 km) from the eye and could bring torrential rain and flooding to the islands. 
 
 Beyond early this week, there is a wide range as to where Irma may go and the storm may grow in size. 
 
 Plenty of atmospheric factors highlighted by non-tropical systems will come into play to determine its path. These non-tropical systems will be moving around. 
 
 "At this early stage, it is unclear whether a non-tropical storm will draw Irma toward the U.S., push it away or miss affecting it entirely prior to the middle of the month," Kottlowski said. 
 
 Possibilities range from a landfall from the northern Caribbean islands to Florida, the Carolinas or Bermuda. There is also a chance the system curves northward and avoids North America entirely. 
 
 "At some point this week, Irma will begin to take a more west-northwest path," Kottlowski said. "Whether Irma then continues to curve northwestward and then northward or remains on a steady west-northwest path is uncertain." 
 
 RELATED: 
 
 AccuWeather hurricane center 
 
 Downpours may hinder cleanup and recovery efforts in Texas, Louisiana early this week 
 
 How to help: Donate to assist Harvey victims reeling from the storm's catastrophic damage 
 
 AccuWeather predicts Hurricane Harvey to be more costly than Katrina, Sandy combined 
 
 Reports: Water supply cut off for entire city of Beaumont, Texas, amid Harvey’s horrific flooding 
 
 More details on the path of Irma will follow in the coming days. 
 
 Residents who live along the East Coast or have interests in the Caribbean Sea should take time to review emergency procedures and make sure they are prepared for extreme tropical conditions. 
 
 Cruise and shipping interests may need to adjust their route as Irma approaches. 
 
 Report a Typo ||||| This post has been updated as of Sept. 5, 10:30 am. 
 
 In the aftermath of the devastating Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana, forecasters are keeping a close eye on Hurricane Irma, a category five storm that’s in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean quickly approaching the Leeward Islands and heading west. 
 
 How dangerous is Hurricane Irma? 
 
 The storm is traveling about 14 miles per hour (22 kilometers per hour), and is expected to hit the West Indies Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center. The full effects of the hurricane will hit around 2 am local time. 
 
 Already, Irma’s winds have reached 175 miles per hour (282 kilometers per hour). The storm has grown substantially stronger from Monday, when maximum wind speeds were 115 miles per hour. Hurricane warnings have been issued for the Lesser Antilles islands, Puerto Rico, and the British and US Virgin Islands. 
 
 CNN’s meteorologist Brandon Miller said that Irma is a fairly typical example of a “Cape Verde storm,” which start brewing over the east coast of Africa in an area now known as Cabo Verde. Hurricanes start off as thunderstorms that result from low pressure air systems over warm waters. They gather wind strength as higher pressures quickly move in to fill in the low pressure areas. Cape Verde storms have their entire trip across the Atlantic to gain wind power, which makes them some of the strongest hurricanes. 
 
 Other Cape Verde storms have included Hurricane Hugo, a devastating storm that took a similar path in 1989 and Hurricane Floyd, which hit the east coast of the US a decade later. Irma’s travel time across the Atlantic has meant that the storm has had time to gather more energy than Hurricane Katrina in 2005—possibly one of the strongest storms in recorded history. 
 
 Will Hurricane Irma hit the US mainland? 
 
 According to the National Hurricane Center, there is an “increased likelihood” that Hurricane Irma will hit the Florida keys and peninsula. Official forecasts can only predict up to five days at a time. If Irma reaches Florida, it wouldn’t be until early Friday morning local time. 
 
 In any case, Florida governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency so that “resources are dispersed to local communities as we get prepared for this storm.” He tweeted that he has spoken with Donald Trump, who has offered him “full resources of the federal government as Floridians prepare for Hurricane Irma.” 
 
 Tom Sater, a meteorologist at CNN has said that there is a small chance that the storm’s path will swing eastward into the Atlantic ocean as it travels north, missing the mainland United States. “But that window is shutting quickly,” he said. In all likelihood, Florida will be hit, and meteorologists are concerned that until then, the storm will only continue to gather strength. ||||| (CNN) As Floridians cleared supermarkets of bottled water and emptied gas pumps, people in the northeastern Caribbean were making last minute-preparations before powerful Hurricane Irma hit their islands. 
 
 Late Tuesday, the massive Category 5 storm was almost upon islands like Antigua and Barbuda with near-record 185 mph sustained winds. In its 11 p.m. ET advisory, the US National Hurricane Center said the eye of the hurricane was 50 miles from the two islands. 
 
 The center of the storm was moving to the west-northwest at 15 mph. 
 
 The hurricane center said the extremely dangerous core of Irma would hit the northern Leeward Islands -- which include Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Anguilla -- Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. 
 
 It's too early to tell whether the storm will make landfall on the US mainland, but forecasts show it could turn toward Florida over the weekend. 
 
 Forecasters' most immediate concerns are for the people of the northeastern Caribbean, the hurricane center's Michael Brennan said. 
 
 "Anguilla, all the way toward (Antigua and) Barbuda, all the way up even toward the British Virgin Islands (are) in grave danger of an eye wall hit at (at least) 150 mph -- that devastates the island, no matter what island it is," CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said Tuesday. 
 
 Those islands are under hurricane warnings, as are Puerto Rico, the US and British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Martin/St. Maarten, and St. Barts. 
 
 One Twitter user in St. Barts posted a photo of rain coming down and winds beginning to sway the leaves of the palm trees Tuesday evening. 
 
 The hurricane center warned the storm is "potentially catastrophic," especially if the worst conditions hit islands at high tides. 
 
 Fishermen get boats out of water 
 
 Irma's forecast track currently has it near or over Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Anguilla by early Wednesday, and the British and US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Wednesday afternoon. 
 
 The Dominican Republic issued a hurricane warning Tuesday evening that included coastal cities from Cabo Engaño to the northern border with Haiti. 
 
 Preparations to protect life and property in those areas "should be rushed to completion," the hurricane center said in an 11 p.m. ET advisory. 
 
 These homes on Nikki Beach in St. Barts are deserted Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Irma. 
 
 "We could see storm surges of 7 to 11 feet -- that's certainly life-threatening -- and very, very heavy flooding rainfall" in the far northeastern Caribbean islands as well as winds that could cause catastrophic damage near the eye wall, Brennan said. 
 
 Hurricane warnings are issued to areas that are expected to experience hurricane-force winds (at least 74 mph). 
 
 JUST WATCHED Space station gets a look at Hurricane Irma Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Space station gets a look at Hurricane Irma 00:48 
 
 On Antigua, home to roughly 80,000 people, fishermen used machines to lift their boats onto docks and other residents flocked to stores to stock up on food and other supplies ahead of the storm, video broadcast by ABS TV Antigua and distributed by Reuters shows. 
 
 The US Virgin Islands, with about 100,000 people, declared a state of emergency Tuesday and ordered the National Guard into active service. 
 
 John Klein, owner of White Bay Villas & Seaside Cottages on Jost Van Dyke island in the British Virgin Islands, told CNN they were rebooking the guests. 
 
 "We have backups for (our utilities), but in a storm of this magnitude it's not best for the guests to be there because they may get stuck," he said. 
 
 Computer models show the system possibly near the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Islands on Thursday and Friday, and Cuba on Friday and Saturday -- and potentially turning north toward Florida by the weekend. 
 
 Puerto Rico: Long lines 
 
 Hundreds of people rushed to the stores, emptying shelves of food and drinking water just as Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard on Monday. 
 
 Crowds wait outside a store in Puerto Rico as Hurricane Irma nears. 
 
 For hours, people also lined up outside hardware stores hoping to get plywood, batteries and power generators. If Irma knocks out power, Puerto Ricans said they are worried it would take weeks or months before the power is restored. 
 
 "It (power) is something absolutely necessary, especially due to Puerto Rico's weather. We need to have the A/C or a fan on all night," a woman told CNN affiliate WAPA 
 
 Last month, the director of Puerto Rico's power utility, Ricardo Ramos Rodríguez, said several factors have made the island's electric system "vulnerable and fragile," WAPA reported. 
 
 One of those is the shortage of employees. Many workers recently retired or left their jobs for better prospects on the US mainland, Ramos Rodríguez said. 
 
 Public schools and officials at the University of Puerto Rico campuses have canceled classes, and many businesses are closed. 
 
 "Make a U-turn and die in the ocean, Irma. The Caribbean islands don't need more problems!" Twitter user mujertropical wrote about the storm. 
 
 Make a U-turn and die in the ocean, #Irma. The Caribbean islands don't need more problems! #PuertoRicoSePrepara — mujertropical🌴 (@chattypatra) September 2, 2017 
 
 Getting ready in the Sunshine State 
 
 While Irma's exact path is uncertain, Florida -- where storm-wary shoppers were standing in long lines outside some stores Tuesday -- is bracing for the storm. 
 
 Miami-Dade County will start evacuating special-needs residents on Wednesday, and may announce other evacuations soon, Mayor Carlos Gimenez said. 
 
 "I would rather inconvenience our residents" with evacuations than suffer loss of life, Gimenez said. 
 
 Schools and county offices are to be closed on Thursday and Friday. 
 
 And the state's Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys, said it will order visitors to evacuate by sunrise Wednesday , and residents should begin to evacuate 12 hours later. 
 
 In Florida, people were standing in lines at stores to buy water and other goods on Tuesday. 
 
 In Miami, supermarkets and other stores were already selling out of water and nonperishable food. 
 
 The @Publix on SW 27 Ave in #Miami is almost sold out of #water. Overheard staffer saying they've gone thru 10 pallets today. #HurricaneIrma pic.twitter.com/uUyaHWJe1i — Tom Martinelli (@firstnameTom) September 4, 2017 
 
 "I've been through hurricanes and they're like 'Oh it's going to hit right here' and then it hits 30, 40 miles up the coast and it kind of changes the way everything goes, so better safe than sorry," Greg Andrews told CNN affiliate WPLG. 
 
 The lines at Costco in Pembroke Pines appeared to be several hours long, Javier Aragon tweeted. 
 
 @nbc6 Hundreds of people lined up outside Costco in #PembrokePines hours ago waiting to get ready with supplies for #HurricanIrma pic.twitter.com/6Zvi2nXV0x — Javier Aragon (@JJAragon_) September 5, 2017 
 
 In Clearwater, along Florida's Gulf Coast, a Publix store still was selling six-packs of water but had run out of larger cases, Carrie Hart said. Hart told CNN that workers there were trying to calm shoppers. 
 
 On Twitter, she described a "mad run" on the remaining six-packs. 
 
 The mad run on 6 packs of water. @publix is out of cases. Expecting more tonight. Store 1300. They are doing their best people. Calm down. pic.twitter.com/MdZuO3vC1m — CarrieTBow (@CarrieTBow) September 5, 2017 
 
 "@publix is out of cases. Expecting more tonight. Store 1300. They are doing their best people. Calm down," she tweeted. 
 
 Irma could head to Florida by the weekend, Myers said Tuesday. 
 
 😲😲 #irma #cat5 #175mph A post shared by Kurt S. (@kfitlifestyle) on Sep 5, 2017 at 6:24am PDT 
 
 "Just tremendous damage if we get this storm, this big, over parts of Florida," Myers said. 
 
 After declaring a state of emergency across Florida, Gov. Rick Scott said President Donald Trump had "offered the full resources of the federal government as Floridians prepare for Hurricane Irma." 
 
 White House Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert tweeted that the President had declared emergencies for Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. 
 
 Scott also ordered 7,000 National Guard troops to report for duty by Friday morning. Of those, 100 were activated Tuesday to begin helping with preparations, he said. 
 
 "I cannot stress this enough. Get prepared," Scott said at a news conference. "Learn your evacuation zone. Listen to your locals. This storm has the potential to devastate this state. You have to take this seriously." 
 
 Near-record winds 
 
 Irma has become one of the strongest storms recorded in the Atlantic, and is threatening to slam into Caribbean islands including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with "potentially catastrophic" force on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said. 
 
 Irma was churning west Tuesday evening in the Atlantic with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph -- well above the 157 mph threshold for a Category 5 , the hurricane center said. 
 
 #Irma is only the 5th Atlantic basin hurricane with a peak wind speed of 185 mph or higher. pic.twitter.com/R3hZ2FG94b — NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) September 5, 2017 
 
 The last storm with sustained winds that strong in the Atlantic was 2005's Hurricane Wilma , which weakened before it brushed Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, turned right and crossed Florida. Irma's Atlantic wind speeds are behind only 1980's Hurricane Allen, which peaked at 190 mph at sea 
 
 Why Irma could be especially intense 
 
 JUST WATCHED Airplane flies straight into Hurricane Irma Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Airplane flies straight into Hurricane Irma 00:47 
 
 Irma is a classic " Cape Verde hurricane ," meaning it formed in the far eastern Atlantic, near the Cape Verde Islands (now known as the Cabo Verde Islands), before tracking all the way across the Atlantic, CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said. 
 
 And Cape Verde storms frequently become some of the largest and most intense hurricanes. Examples include Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Floyd and Hurricane Ivan 
 
 Another storm, Tropical Storm Jose, is 1,500 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. 
 
 "Interests in the Leeward Islands should monitor the future progress of Jose," the hurricane center said. ||||| Hurricane Irma has begun to devastate the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean as one of the most intense Atlantic cyclones on record, but whether and where it reaches the United States mainland depends on its speed and interactions with two other weather systems. 
 
 Irma had maximum sustained winds of 185 mph — the equivalent of an EF-4 tornado — as the eye made its first landfall in the islands of the northeast Caribbean early today, passing over Barbuda around 1:47 a.m., the National Weather Service said. 
 
 Residents said over local radio that phone lines went down. Heavy rain and howling winds raked the neighboring island of Antigua, sending debris flying as people huddled in their homes or government shelters. Officials warned people to seek protection from Irma's "onslaught" in a statement that closed with: "May God protect us all." 
 
 Irma, which is churning along a path pointing to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba before possibly heading for Florida over the weekend, is the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record outside of the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean Sea, according to the National Hurricane Center. Its intensity is on par with those of hurricanes Andrew, Katrina and Rita, and behind only Hurricane Allen in 1980, which had 190 mph winds. 
 
 The hurricane center called Irma “potentially catastrophic.” Carlos Anselmi, a National Weather Service meteorologist in San Juan, Puerto Rico, said the U.S. territory has not seen a storm of Irma’s magnitude in a century. 
 
 Phil Klotzbach, a meteorologist at Colorado State University, said, "The Leeward Islands are going to get destroyed." 
 
 "I just pray that this thing wobbles and misses them,” he said. “This is a serious storm." 
 
 Forecasters expect Irma will continue to move northwestward toward the Bahamas and Cuba, and eventually Florida. Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency Monday and urged preparations for the worst. Evacuations from Miami Beach and the Keys were expected to begin Wednesday. 
 
 National Hurricane Center (National Hurricane Center) 
 
 Predictions for where the storm might hit the U.S. mainland this weekend remain tentative. Models suggest landfall anywhere from Alabama on the Gulf of Mexico to the Carolinas on the Atlantic Coast. 
 
 An area of high pressure that covers the Atlantic from Bermuda to the Azores is expected to steer Irma. Such zones have clockwise circulation, so tropical systems are often pulled around them, up the coast. 
 
 If the so-called “Bermuda high” is expansive and strong, it could push Irma into the Gulf of Mexico or up the Atlantic coast, the Weather Channel noted. 
 
 A weaker Bermuda high could allow Irma to remain offshore as it curves around the pressure system and into colder Atlantic waters. 
 
 Irma could be blocked from moving into the Gulf by a separate system that could itself strengthen to a tropical storm in the coming days. 
 
 “That could kind of act as a wall,” said Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.com. 
 
 The hurricane center estimates a 70 percent chance the low-pressure area over Mexico’s Bay of Campeche will become Tropical Storm Katia in the next two days. Tropical Storm Jose formed in the middle of the Atlantic on Tuesday, and was expected to become a hurricane Thursday. 
 
 If Irma does make landfall in Florida, it likely wouldn’t be until Sunday. The National Hurricane Center predicts it will remain a major hurricane until then, potentially making it just the second major storm to strike the U.S. in a dozen years. Hurricane Harvey was the first since Wilma in 2005. 
 
 "This hurricane has the potential to be a major event for the East Coast,” said Evan Myers, AccuWeather’s chief operating officer. “It also has the potential to significantly strain FEMA and other governmental resources occurring so quickly on the heels of Harvey.” 
 
 Hurricane-force winds extend 60 miles out in all directions from Irma’s 30-mile-wide eye, making it a large storm that threatens virtually all of Florida. 
 
 If Irma is going to reach Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic, that wouldn’t be until some time around next Tuesday — a week away. 
 
 The Associated Press contributed to this article. 
 
 Photos of weather in Maryland in 2017. 
 
 sdance@baltsun.com 
 
 twitter.com/ssdance
– As Texas still deals with the devastation from Harvey, another weather system churning in the Atlantic, and moving west toward the US, has some worried. CNN reports on Irma, currently a Category 3 hurricane that experienced "rapid intensification" from Wednesday into Thursday, meaning its wind speed ramped up at least 35mph in that period—though the National Hurricane Center on Thursday noted the "remarkable" increase measured 58mph. A National Hurricane Center alert issued early Friday pegs maximum sustained winds at 115mph, with higher gusts. The storm is expected to approach the Caribbean by Tuesday or so as a Category 4 storm, then possibly the US—though meteorological models with wildly different scenarios show it's too early to make any definitive predictions on where the storm will land. Irma is what's called a "Cape Verde" hurricane, meaning one that forms off the coast of Africa then shoots across the Atlantic; CNN notes these storm systems can turn into particularly powerful ones (Hurricane Hugo is one example). What's emboldening Irma is a lack of the "hurricane kryptonite" known as wind shear, which often acts to tamp down hurricanes. A powerful high-pressure ridge is pushing Irma westward and keeping wind shear low. What one of the models is showing that has some concerned, per Reuters: Irma could head straight into the Gulf of Mexico, which could be bad news for areas still struggling after Harvey. "All interests in the eastern Caribbean will need to monitor the progress of this evolving and dangerous hurricane," an AccuWeather hurricane expert notes, reiterating he can't say "with certainty" how the US will be affected.