Hurricane Irma Makes First Landfall: See Radar Images

irma landfall

National Weather Service Radar images of Hurricane Irma around the time it made landfall over Barbuda.

Hurricane Irma made its first landfall on the small island of Barbuda, around 2 a.m. Eastern time.

The National Hurricane Center confirmed that the hurricane’s eye had passed over Barbuda. You can watch the National Weather Service satellite loop of Irma here.

CNN reported shortly before: “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.”

Some people stayed up late to watch the hurricane make landfall and they filled social media with prayers for the people of Barbuda. Radar showed the island in the middle of the eye of the hurricane at just before 2 a.m.

The massive hurricane is a Category 5 monster storm, one of the strongest ever recorded. See the moment it crossed over Barbuda:

As the hurricane hit, it was not yet clear what was happening to the people on the island.

Other islands are in its path next, and it could reach the State of Florida by the weekend, although that’s not yet definitively clear. “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,” reported CNN.

Here’s the National Weather Service map of the Irma track shortly before it hit Barbuda.

irma path

National Weather ServiceThe projected path of Hurricane Irma from the National Weather Service on 11 p.m. September 5.

There was evidence the hurricane’s winds reached 155 mph before a weather station stopped recording. The hurricane had registered 185 mph winds earlier in the evening, according to The National Weather Service.

The eye caused a dramatic shift in weather conditions.

Here’s the 11 p.m. September 5 advisory:

Here are some other looks at the moment that Irma passed over Barbuda:

Read more about Hurricane Irma and Barbuda here: