Hurricane Irma facts for kids

Hurricane Irma was a Category 5 hurricane in 2017, the 9th named storm, 4th hurricane, 2nd major hurricane, and a 1st Category 5 hurricane of the hyperactive 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. Irma is also the 4th consecutive hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season—after Franklin, Gert, and Harvey. The storm threatened the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Irma was also forecast to threaten the East Coast of the United States, but later forecast to hit Southwest Florida.

Irma was the first major hurricane to develop in the eastern Atlantic since Hurricane Julia in 2010. The storm developed on August 30, 2017 near the Cape Verde islands. On September 5, 2017, the storm became a Category 5 hurricane. It had maximum sustained winds of 180 miles per hour since Hurricane Wilma in twelve years earlier. As it hit landfall, Irma went down to a Category 2 hurricane. Irma was the easternmost Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean.

Hurricane or tropical storm watches and warnings were issued from Haiti to Dominica.

Hurricane Irma inflicted $77 billion worth of damage especially in Florida after making landfall in Florida.

Due to significant amount of damage and loss of life from the storm especially in Florida, the name Irma was retired in April 2018 by the World Meteorological Organization, and it was replaced with Idalia for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.

Images for kids

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  Sea surface temperatures in Hurricane Irma's path from September 3–6.

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  Three simultaneously active hurricanes on September 7. From left to right: Katia, Irma, and Jose, the first occurrence since 2010.

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  Combined satellite image of Hurricanes Andrew (inset, at left) and Irma (right), showing the size comparison of the storms

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  Infrared satellite loop of Irma approaching the northern Leeward Islands on September 5, around the time of its upgrade to a Category 5 hurricane

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  Residents in Doral installing hurricane shutters in advance of the storm

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  Eastbound Interstate 4 lanes on the afternoon of September 9 are filled with evacuating traffic from the Gulf Coast (note the emergency shoulder use by moving traffic), while westbound lanes are almost empty at 5 PM on a Saturday afternoon

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  A house in Barbuda that was badly damaged by the hurricane

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  Operational Land Imager imagery by Landsat 8 of the Virgin Islands from before and after Hurricane Irma's impact, depicting a "browning" of the landscape and vegetation.

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  Hurricane Irma north of Hispaniola on September 7, 2017

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  People stand in a flooded street that usually serves as a farmers market, in Ouanaminthe, northeast Haiti, September 8, 2017.

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  Patrol boat Admiral Didiez Burgos of the Dominican Navy delivering disaster supplies in Havana Harbor after Hurricane Irma.

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  True-color images before and after the passage of Irma, in which light blue indicates sediment suspended in the water, kicked up by the intensity of the storm

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  Remains of a Florida neighborhood destroyed by Hurricane Irma in Big Pine Key

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  Boats washed up on U.S. Route 1 in the Florida Keys

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  Hurricane Irma on September 10, just before landfall on Florida. Hurricane Jose can be seen to the lower right.

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  A UK Royal Logistics Corp landing raft delivers emergency relief to Anguilla

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  Royal Marines delivering aid and providing support to the islanders of Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

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  President Donald Trump visits Naples, Florida to talk with people impacted by Hurricane Irma

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  Nighttime satellite images of Florida before (left) and the night after (right) Hurricane Irma, highlighting the extensive loss of grid (mains) electricity

See also

In Spanish: Huracán Irma para niños