September 5, 2017 - Hurricane Irma Unleashes On Barbuda
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On Sept. 5, 2017, Hurricane Irma strengthened to a Category-5 storm. At the time, it was the most powerful Atlantic hurricane in recorded history, surpassed by Hurricane Dorian two years later.
When it made landfall on Barbuda the next day, maximum sustained winds peaked at 180 m.p.h. (285 km/h), damaging 90 per cent of the buildings on the island. It destroyed nearly all forms of communication and left more than half of the population homeless.
Hurricane Irma resulted in 134 deaths throughout the Caribbean and the United States, with damages amounting to $77 billion. Photo: World Vision.
Irma unleashed 7 trillion watts of energy -- twice as much as all bombs used in the Second World War. Its force was so powerful that earthquake seismometers recorded it.
Altogether, the hurricane resulted in 134 deaths throughout the Caribbean and southeastern United States. Overall damages reached $77 billion.
Irma's landfall was the first time in 100 years that two storms Category 4 or stronger hit the U.S. mainland in the same year - the other being Hurricane Harvey. ‘Hurricane Irma’ was the top Google-searched term in the U.S. and globally in 2017.
On today’s podcast, Chris Mei takes a look back at the 2017 hurricane season, dissecting the track of the powerful storm known as Irma.
"This Day In Weather History” is a daily podcast by The Weather Network that features unique and informative stories from host Chris Mei.
