Igor explodes to Category 4 hurricane

Graphic courtesy of Weather Underground

Hurricane Igor grew from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane yesterday. The storm was moving out of a region with high wind shear into an area where the wind shear is very low or non existant and the sea surface temperatures are very warm. As a result this morning Igor grew to a Category 2 and by early afternoon exploded into a Category 4 monster.

The NHC is reporting that Igor has 135 MPH sustained winds with gusts as high as 160 MPH. Igor is moving ratehr quickly through the Atlantic at 14 MPH.

Igor Rapidly Intensifies into Category 4 Hurricane(AccuWeather)

Igor became the fourth hurricane of the season Saturday evening as it headed farther west over the open waters of the Atlantic. The storm has since intensified rapidly, reaching powerful Category 4 status Sunday afternoon.

While minor fluctuations in intensity can occur, the storm is expected to generally remain a major hurricane through much of the upcoming week.

Most computer models show Igor curving slightly northward over the western Atlantic in the next few days, steering clear of the Leeward Islands but posing a major threat to Bermuda next weekend.

While the storm may very well follow this type of track, there is still a small chance that it heads farther west, drawing nearer to the Leeward Islands and making its northward curve closer to the East Coast of the United States.

The forecast calls for Igor to generally remain a major hurricane well into the weekend. It is expected to curve towards Bermuda but the track can still shift more towards the west. Coastal regions may encounter rough surf and rip tides and the storm may even approach the eastern US. The threat to the eastern US will be better defined by mid week.