Interests in the U.S. will likely need to keep an eye on the storm's progress as it heads west. Irma is now a major hurricane.

Interests in the U.S. will likely need to keep an eye on the storm's progress as it heads west. Irma is now a major hurricane.

It's still too soon to say how Irma may impact the U.S. coast, but it's one people should keep an eye on as it churns its way west with winds more than 100 mph.

It's still too soon to say how Irma may impact the U.S. coast, but it's one people should keep an eye on as it churns its way west with winds more than 100 mph.

Explosions that rocked a Texas chemical plant inundated by Harvey's floodwaters are raising questions about the adequacy of industry preparations for the monster storm and stoking fears of more accidents.

Explosions that rocked a Texas chemical plant inundated by Harvey's floodwaters are raising questions about the adequacy of industry preparations for the monster storm and stoking fears of more accidents.

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - After a brief period of weakening early Friday, Hurricane Irma has once again strengthened into a category 3 hurricane.

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - After a brief period of weakening early Friday, Hurricane Irma has once again strengthened into a category 3 hurricane.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The slow-moving, super-wet and especially devastating storm named Harvey is finally fizzling.

Since first hitting shore near Corpus Christi, Texas, more than a week ago, the storm dumped 27 trillion gallons of rain on Texas and Louisiana — enough to cover all of Manhattan a mile (1.6 kilometers) deep. It set a record for rainfall from a tropical system in the continental U.S., dropping 51.88 inches (1.3 meters) just outside Houston. That's only an eighth of an inch (3.2 millimeters) behind the U.S. record set in Hawaii in 1950.

The deluge damaged an estimated 156,000 dwellings, and parts of Houston may be flooded for another month. The death toll of 44 ranks it as the mainland's sixth deadliest hurricane in 50 years.

What made it so bad? Harvey was strange — in how it nearly dissolved once but roared back as a major hurricane, in how it intensified so quickly before hitting land, in how it parked itself over one unfortunate region for so long and, of course, in the amount of rain it generated.

"It had several unique characteristics in terms of its strength and track. And unfortunately they combined to produce a severe impact over a highly populated area," National Hurricane Center Acting Director Ed Rappaport said.

Harvey was born in the Atlantic southeast of Puerto Rico on Aug. 17, then got downgraded to a tropical wave and breezed into Mexico's Yucatan peninsula with little fanfare. But once Harvey got into the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 23, it rapidly exploded into a Category 4 hurricane just a few hours before coming ashore, something experts had not seen happen much before.

It was the first Category 4 storm to make landfall in the United States since 2004. Rappaport and others said it will likely rank among the costliest storms to hit the United States. In some ways, it landed in the perfect place to wreak the most havoc. The worst of its rains stayed to the east of its eye and hit very close to the nation's fourth-largest city, a city that is as flat as a tabletop and especially prone to flooding.

That's what Harvey will be remembered for, even though coastal cities like Rockport were all but flattened, said University of Miami senior hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. "They're going to take backstage to Houston."

Most hurricanes, including 2005's Katrina, weaken just before they hit shore. Harvey got much stronger, fueled in part by pockets of extra warm water in the Gulf of Mexico.

"Harvey was the first to go from tropical storm strength to major hurricane strength in its last 36 hours before U.S. landfall," Rappaport said.

Then it just stuck around.

For more than 130 hours — from 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 25, through 10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30 — Harvey was raining over some part of eastern Texas. When Harvey did move, including a dip back into the Gulf of Mexico for about a day, it was still close enough to drench Texas.

"It's extremely rare to have a major hurricane that just sits there after it makes landfall," McNoldy said.

Usually strong storms blast through an area, dump a foot or so of rain, and move on. But Harvey was stuck between two high pressure weather systems to the east and west that kept pushing it in opposite directions, so it just staggered in a zig-zag pattern across southeast Texas.

"The sheer area that was inundated by 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain was unbelievable," said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the private forecasting service Weather Underground.

If it had only continued a bit farther, over northern Texas, Harvey would not have been as wet. But by stalling near the coast, the storm was allowed to draw more and more moisture from the gulf and sustain extraordinary rainfall rates, including more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) per hour over the Beaumont-Port Arthur area, Masters said.

Finally, after its second U.S. landfall along the Texas-Louisiana border, Harvey started to move on.

It pushed north and east, weakening but still dumping several inches of rain on Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and North Carolina. By Sunday, forecasters say, the storm's remnants will look like regular weather.

Meteorologists are already eyeing another system: Hurricane Irma, which intensified from a tropical storm to a major hurricane in just 30 hours, is steadily moving west across the Atlantic. It's still several days away from the nearest land just south of Puerto Rico.</s>An article shared on Facebook about 2 million times says Hurricane Irma will be a Category 6 storm with 180 mph winds, but how true is that?

No, we can verify there is no such thing as a Category 6 hurricane.

Dennis Feltgen, Public Affairs Officer and a spokesperson for NOAA's National Hurricane Center in Miami

United States Code Title 18 Part I Chapter 101 Section 2074 - U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Law Revision Counsel

With Hurricane Irma brewing in the north Atlantic Ocean, she's stirring waves of misinformation about her impact and magnitude ashore.

An article shared more than 1.7 million times is taking social media by storm, claiming Hurricane Irma will be a catastrophic Category 6 storm.

Dennis Feltgen, a veteran broadcast meteorologist and spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, says it's bogus.

"We do not have a Category 6," Feltgen said. "Once you pass that threshold of catastrophic damage you have catastrophic damage."

The National Hurricane Center uses the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which caps 5 as the top category for hurricane winds. At Category 5, winds reach 157 mph or higher and can blow small buildings over and destroy power lines.

Feltgen also debunked the viral article's claim that Irma will reach 180 mph gusts.

The hurricane specialist warned people only to trust reliable sources, like the National Hurricane Center.

"In these days of social media, it doesn't take much for something totally off the wall or something dramatic to go viral," Feltgen said. "That gets to be a problem because people don't know who to believe, and when the message is muddled, people can get hurt and we don't want that."

Our Verify researchers dug a little deeper and found it is federal crime to doctor a fake weather forecast and attribute the fake report to a government agency. Those found guilty are liable for up to $500 in fines, up to 90 days in prison, or both.</s>Hurricane Irma is swirling in the Atlantic, giving few indications of a future path and denying forecasters a chance to catch their breaths after the devastation of Hurricane Harvey.

By Sunday morning, Irma had strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane, churning about 2,000 miles west of Africa and 1,000 miles east of the Leeward Island. Its winds were nearing 115 mph (185 km/h), the National Hurricane Center said.

“Irma is expected to be a major hurricane when it moves closer to the Lesser Antilles over the next few days, producing rough surf and rip currents,” the NHC said.

‘Irma could also cause dangerous wind, storm surge, and rainfall impacts on some islands, although it is too soon to specify where and when those hazards could occur,” it said, warning that residents of the Lesser Antilles should monitor the hurricane’s progress.

But the center said it was too early to know what impact Irma could have on the Bahamas and United States, where there are no warnings or watches currently in effect.

“Regardless, everyone in hurricane-prone areas should ensure that they have their hurricane plan in place, as we are now near the peak of the season,” the NHC said.

Read: Hurricane Irma could be next weather disaster

By early Sunday, Irma was moving west at a speed of 15 mph (24 km/h).

The center tweeted that tropical-storm-force winds from Irma would likely begin in the Leeward Islands Tuesday night.

Threat to the US

CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward said it was too early to ascertain what threat Irma posed to the United States:

“As for what we do know, the system will approach the northern Leeward Islands late Tuesday or early Wednesday, likely as a major hurricane of Category 3 or more. It’s still unclear if these islands will take a direct hit or just be brushed by the outer bands of the storm,” he said.

“Beyond the northern Leeward Islands, the storm could approach the Turks and Caicos and Bahamas by late week, but again nothing is certain for these regions.”

Forecast models generally showed Irma approaching the Bahamas before turning to the north or northwest, Ward said:

“How hard the storm turns and where this occurs will determine what portion of the US is the most at risk. It is also still entirely possible that the storm approaches the Bahamas and then turns sharp enough to stay out to sea. The storm is expected to be a major hurricane so it would still bring high surf, erosion, and rip currents to much of the eastern seaboard, but staying offshore is obviously the best case scenario.”

If Irma made landfall in the US it would likely not be until late next weekend at the earliest, he said.

Irma was designated a tropical storm Wednesday morning, and by Thursday afternoon, it had strengthened, with winds of 115 mph.

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, CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said.

Cape Verde storms frequently become some of the largest and most intense hurricanes. Examples are Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Floyd, and Hurricane Ivan.</s>Hurricane Irma remains a very powerful storm — but one that's still roughly 2,200 miles away.

As of 11 a.m. Saturday, Irma is a Category 2 hurricane with winds sustained of 110 mph, moving west at about 15 miles an hour.

Irma will continue moving in a westerly direction at roughly 10-15 mph through the weekend into early next week. Fluctuations in strength will occur in the coming days, but Irma will remain a very strong storm.

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This is not a storm to worry about over the weekend.

Even by early next week, Irma will still be in the middle of the Atlantic.

The good news is we're starting to see more agreement in our forecast models that Irma will start to turn more northwest by mid next week, which would make a landfall over the southeastern U.S. less likely.

There could be impacts to some of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico by mid next week. Those areas need to pay close attention to the storm and its track.

The storm is still very far away from the continental United States, and it's too early to say with much confidence where the storm will be by the end of next week, or if it will have any impact on the U.S.

Stay tuned, though. We'll have a much better idea on Irma over the next few days.

The good thing is we still have plenty of time to watch this storm. It's not one that's going to sneak up on anyone.

Count on the NBC2 First Alert Hurricane Tracking team for the latest on Irma and track its progress with the NBC2 Weather app.</s>An article shared on Facebook about 2 million times says Hurricane Irma will be a Category 6 storm with 180 mph winds, but how true is that?

No, we can verify there is no such thing as a Category 6 hurricane.

Dennis Feltgen, Public Affairs Officer and a spokesperson for NOAA's National Hurricane Center in Miami

United States Code Title 18 Part I Chapter 101 Section 2074 - U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Law Revision Counsel

With Hurricane Irma brewing in the north Atlantic Ocean, she's stirring waves of misinformation about her impact and magnitude ashore.

An article shared more than 1.7 million times is taking social media by storm, claiming Hurricane Irma will be a catastrophic Category 6 storm.

Dennis Feltgen, a veteran broadcast meteorologist and spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, says it's bogus.

"We do not have a Category 6," Feltgen said. "Once you pass that threshold of catastrophic damage you have catastrophic damage."

The National Hurricane Center uses the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which caps 5 as the top category for hurricane winds. At Category 5, winds reach 157 mph or higher and can blow small buildings over and destroy power lines.

Feltgen also debunked the viral article's claim that Irma will reach 180 mph gusts.

The hurricane specialist warned people only to trust reliable sources, like the National Hurricane Center.

"In these days of social media, it doesn't take much for something totally off the wall or something dramatic to go viral," Feltgen said. "That gets to be a problem because people don't know who to believe, and when the message is muddled, people can get hurt and we don't want that."

Our Verify researchers dug a little deeper and found it is federal crime to doctor a fake weather forecast and attribute the fake report to a government agency. Those found guilty are liable for up to $500 in fines, up to 90 days in prison, or both.</s>The latest weather bulletin posted by government agencies on Hurricane Irma indicates that it is now a "small hurricane."

As of 11 a.m. EDT, Saturday, the National Hurricane Center posted the latest bulletin on Hurricane Irma that said it was "moving westward across the Atlantic as a small hurricane."

The previous announcement, which was made at 5 a.m. of the same day, had said that "Irma continues to fluctuate in strength but remains a powerful hurricane."

On the 11 a.m. public advisory, the NHC located the center of Hurricane Irma near latitude 18.8 North, longitude 43.3 West. It seemed to be moving west at a speed of about 15 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds of nearly 110 mph.

However, although it is a small hurricane, "some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours," the NHC further explained.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Irma is expected to move in a west-southwest motion in "the next two days."

In an earlier forecast on Twitter, the NHC maintained that it was still too early to determine whether Hurricane Irma would make landfall and cause direct impacts in the areas within the United States' territory. However, the authorities still advised people living in hurricane-prone areas to be cautious and always be prepared.

Authorities have been monitoring Hurricane Irma while Hurricane Harvey was still ravaging parts of the United States. Weather agencies first spotted tropical storm Irma on Aug. 30 within the Cabo Verde Islands. Shortly after, the NHC reported that Irma had advanced to the far eastern side of the Atlantic. Another update was, later on, released noting that Irma is expected to gain enough strength to become a hurricane as it continued to intensify while maintaining its location in the said area of the Atlantic.

On Wednesday, the NHC reported Irma intensified to a category 2 hurricane. The following day, the hurricane moves up to category 3 in terms of strength and was then located at the eastern part of the Atlantic.</s>PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS 12) — As a huge recovery effort is underway in Houston from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, the next big weather disaster could be just around the corner.

 Although it is too early to tell what path Hurricane Irma will take, residents are being encouraged to make sure they have their basic hurricane supplies ready by the middle of next week in case Florida ends up in Irma’s path.

 Waiting until the last-minute can backfire, because often stores run out of supplies during days leading up to the storm.

And you should have these basic supplies on hand anyways during hurricane season.

 Experts say within the next five days, you should make sure you have your basic emergency kit items.

 Home Depot manager Jacob Tibbs says shoppers are already coming into the hardware store, picking up hurricane items: from generators to water.

 Tibbs recommends people get their basic supplies like water, canned goods, batteries, and flashlights.

 However, it is way too early to get out hurricane shutters and plywood.

 Home Depot has hurricane supplies on stand-by at distribution centers during hurricane season months.

 Tibbs encourages people to make sure their kits are ready.

 Since Hurricane Matthew, Home Depot started ordering more water palettes, because they ran out so quickly last year.

 Stay with our CBS 12 team of meteorologists who are tracking the storm, to get a better idea if and when you would need to get out your shutters and plywood.</s>Hurricane Irma is swirling in the Atlantic, giving few indications of a future path and denying forecasters a chance to catch their breaths after the devastation of Hurricane Harvey.

By Sunday morning, Irma had strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane, churning about 2,000 miles west of Africa and 1,000 miles east of the Leeward Island. Its winds were nearing 115 mph (185 km/h), the National Hurricane Center said.

“Irma is expected to be a major hurricane when it moves closer to the Lesser Antilles over the next few days, producing rough surf and rip currents,” the NHC said.

‘Irma could also cause dangerous wind, storm surge, and rainfall impacts on some islands, although it is too soon to specify where and when those hazards could occur,” it said, warning that residents of the Lesser Antilles should monitor the hurricane’s progress.

But the center said it was too early to know what impact Irma could have on the Bahamas and United States, where there are no warnings or watches currently in effect.

“Regardless, everyone in hurricane-prone areas should ensure that they have their hurricane plan in place, as we are now near the peak of the season,” the NHC said.

Read: Hurricane Irma could be next weather disaster

By early Sunday, Irma was moving west at a speed of 15 mph (24 km/h).

The center tweeted that tropical-storm-force winds from Irma would likely begin in the Leeward Islands Tuesday night.

Threat to the US

CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward said it was too early to ascertain what threat Irma posed to the United States:

“As for what we do know, the system will approach the northern Leeward Islands late Tuesday or early Wednesday, likely as a major hurricane of Category 3 or more. It’s still unclear if these islands will take a direct hit or just be brushed by the outer bands of the storm,” he said.

“Beyond the northern Leeward Islands, the storm could approach the Turks and Caicos and Bahamas by late week, but again nothing is certain for these regions.”

Forecast models generally showed Irma approaching the Bahamas before turning to the north or northwest, Ward said:

“How hard the storm turns and where this occurs will determine what portion of the US is the most at risk. It is also still entirely possible that the storm approaches the Bahamas and then turns sharp enough to stay out to sea. The storm is expected to be a major hurricane so it would still bring high surf, erosion, and rip currents to much of the eastern seaboard, but staying offshore is obviously the best case scenario.”

If Irma made landfall in the US it would likely not be until late next weekend at the earliest, he said.

Irma was designated a tropical storm Wednesday morning, and by Thursday afternoon, it had strengthened, with winds of 115 mph.

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, CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said.

Cape Verde storms frequently become some of the largest and most intense hurricanes. Examples are Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Floyd, and Hurricane Ivan.</s>The cost to rebuild areas devastated by Hurricane Harvey is rising and already on track to shatter records.

Interested in Hurricane Harvey? Add Hurricane Harvey as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Hurricane Harvey news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest

All data is preliminary as officials struggle to assess the full devastation of the storm and its aftermath, but based on early economic models and simulations, Harvey is projected to be at least the second costliest storm in U.S. history, experts told ABC News.

Moody's Analytics puts the total predicted cost of Harvey at $108 billion in destruction and losses in output by the energy-rich region.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said that the cost of Harvey could require federal support "far in excess" of $125 billion.

Ballooning these costs is the fact that Texas's critical oil and gas refineries are still struggling to get back online.

Even as ABC News Meteorologist Melissa Griffin confirmed "for the most part the worst is over," she noted that flood waters will take weeks to recede and downstream rivers are still rising in some areas.

Chuck Watson, director of research and development at Enki Research, said the computer modeling he has done shows the total damage from Harvey not yet breaking $100 billion.

Offering a more conservative prediction, Watson estimates Harvey's direct financial costs ranging from $72 billion to $85 billion.

"It’s easy to overestimate the long-term economic impact because a lot of the short-term losses are recovered in the months after a storm,” Watson told ABC News. “Our numbers represent what total costs will likely be looking back a year from now."

Sacco and Matt Woolbright/Caller-Times via USA TODAY NETWORK

More than 185,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed as a result of Harvey, according to the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

Those numbers will certainly continue to "tick up," Tom Vinger from that agency told ABC News.

And approximately 80 percent of Texans lack flood insurance, according to data from the Texas Department of Insurance.

"There are 2.8 million residential policies in the counties on our list and 516,295 federal flood policies," Stephanie Goodman from the Texas Department of Insurance told ABC News. "These numbers start to give you a sense of how many homeowners in the area won't have coverage for most of the damage to their homes."

"That's the second wave of tragedy," Goodman added.

Thomas B. Shea/AFP via Getty Images

In terms of how Harvey stacks up against other storms, Harvey is still estimated to cost less than Hurricane Katrina, which caused $118 billion in damage when it hit New Orleans in 2005. But Harvey is projected to surpass Superstorm Sandy, which caused $75 billion in damage when it hit the eastern seaboard in 2013.

“Homeowners without flood insurance are eligible for FEMA assistance,” Goodman said.

About 440,000 Texans have registered for assistance from FEMA and the agency has approved more than $70 million in funds, Gov. Abbott said today.

Additionally, while most Texas do not have flood insurance, most homeowners are insured for wind damage. Texans have filed an estimated 100,000 windstorm damage claims and 100,000 auto insurance claims so far, according to Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas, a trade group that represents the state's insurers.</s>The estimated cost of the damages incurred by Hurricane Harvey ranges between $70-108 billion with some analysts predicting an even larger amount.

Hurricane Harvey’s price tag is continuing to grow as reports of widespread flooding and destroyed properties are updated. While Harvey has damage that is still incalculable, most estimates show the financial damage exceeding Hurricane Sandy, which cost just over $70 billion, the New York Times reports. Hurricane Katrina is still the most expensive natural disaster to lay claim to the United States, ringing in at $160 billion and resulting in over 1,800 deaths.

Some analysts have even suggested that Harvey may exceed the price of Katrina. Dr. Joel Myers, who founded Accuweather, claimed that the storm could cost as much as $190 billion. Such damage would make a visible dent in the economy, even making the expected growth of the economy negligible. Myers also noted that his meteorologists expect the temperatures to climb which will make standing water a hotbed for bacteria.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which publishes the official government reports detailing the cost of natural disasters, is not expected to release their findings for a few months. A NOAA scientist explained to the Times, “Each day that passes, as the impacts multiply, it seems more likely that Harvey may ultimately eclipse the cost of Katrina, and it might not even be close.”

According to CoreLogic, a property analytics firm, up to 70 percent of property damage won’t be covered by insurance companies, due to the fact that only a small percentage of the properties affected by flooding were covered by flood insurance.

Since 1980, there have been 212 natural disasters that cost over $1 billion. And hurricanes make up a bulk of the most expensive natural disasters. The top 10 most damaging hurricanes cost around a third of the total damage since 1980.

RELATED: Harvey victims and their supporters may be abused by these cruel scamming techniques
Hurricane Harvey is projected to possibly become the second costliest hurricane in the United States's history, with estimates ranging from US$72 billion to over $125 billion. In comparison, Hurricane Katrina's total damage is estimated to be around $118 to $160 billion.