'Potentially catastrophic' Irma targets Caribbean; Jose next in line

As if making up for lost time, the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season already has become a historic one and with Irma threatens to only add to its devastating resume.

The National Hurricane Center estimated Irma's peak winds at 185 mph, the highest ever observed in the Atlantic Ocean, one of only five Atlantic Basin hurricanes to reach that threshold. The four others peaked in the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean.

Hurricane warnings were up for Caribbean islands that included Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, St. Kitts, and Puerto Rico. The encounter with land likely would weaken the storm slightly, but it was expected to remain a "major" hurricane.

The hurricane center called the storm "potentially catastrophic," and warned the chances of Irma affecting Florida during the weekend "continues to increase."

With the 5 p.m. update the latest path project carried the storm's center toward the Florida Keys, where it would arrive Sunday morning with peak winds still at 140 mph.

The hurricane center cautioned that "it is too soon to specify the timing and magnitude of the impacts." That is a critical point.

As we've seen endlessly, the most powerful computers in the world often are overmatched by the chaos of the atmosphere. But on the 25^th anniversary of Andrew, this is going to be a frightening week along Florida's Atlantic coast, regardless of what or what doesn't happen.

If you ever have been in the Sunshine Statee during a hurricane threat, you know what an unnerving experience it can be with every video screen offering nonstop images of the approaching spinning circle of fire.

Meanwhile, the 10^th named tropical storm of the season, Jose, popped up off the African coast, having reached the name-qualifying threshold with peak winds of 40 mph.

But Irma's magnitude could inhibit Jose's career, says Phil Klotzbach, hurricane specialist at Colorado State University.

These threats, of course, comes in the wake of Harvey, blamed for 80 deaths and ultimately could become the most-expensive storm in U.S. history in terms of economic impact, according to Joel Myers, head of the private weather behemoth AccuWeather.

Harvey ended a record run of luck for the U.S. mainland which had gone 12 years without a major landfalling hurricane.

As for the impact here, Irma right now might produce some pounding waves at the Shore later this week, the kind surfers like and life guards hate.