Hurricane Irma reached category 5 strength Monday morning with maximum sustained winds of 175 miles per hour.
Irma could see some changes in strength over the next day or two, but it is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days.
For now, there is an increasing chance of Irma impacting the Florida keys and the Florida peninsula later this week. It is still unknown if Irma will threaten the Louisiana Gulf Coast.
Closer to home, the National Hurricane Center is giving a medium chance of development to an area of low pressure in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. That is not expected to be an issue for us, as the trough is expected to meander in its current location.
Further out in the Atlantic, forecasters are also watching what will likely be named Jose soon. It is expected to move generally west-northwest over the tropical Atlantic and is not a threat to land at this time.