Follow Hurricane Ike's Projected Path

As Hurricane Ike starts to take aim, Hurricane Gustav has diminished, but is still expected to bring considerable rain to the Mississippi River basin. Tropical Storm Hannah may reach category 1 status before sliding up the east coast of the United States, but the one hurricane we should be watching now is Hurricane Ike. This storm has is still far out in the Atlantic, but it has already achieved Category 4 strength. Hurricane Ike has a sustained wind speed of 145 miles per hour. There is still a lot of warm deep water in Hurricane Ike's projected path before it approaches the United States. Hurricane paths can be tricky to predict 5-7 days in advance, but right now it looks as it Hurricane Ike's projected path will take it right over the Bahamas. Unlike Haiti or Cuba, the islands of the Bahamas are too small to cause considerable weakening of Hurricane Ike as it continues on its track toward the east coast.

Projected Path of Hurricane Ike

That means that Hurricane Ike may continue on undiminished as at least a category 4 storm and possibly even reach category 5, the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane strength. Current path projections put Hurricane Ike on a track to collide with the Carolinas late next week. Hurricane Hannah's effect on the Carolinas will almost certainly be very minor compared to Hurricane Ike if it maintains its current track and strength. Although NOAA projections suggest the highest probability is for Hurricane Ike to fall to a category 3 storm before it reaches the east coast, that still means winds in excess of 111 miles per hour. It is still early, so keep an eye on Hurricane Ike, conditions and projections will change over the next few days. By this week-end forecasters should have a very good idea of its projected path and strength as it approaches the east coast.

Minor Hurricane Hannah May Provide False Sense of Security