Hurricane Irma

"Powerful Hurricane Irma could be next weather disaster!"  CNN

While much attention remains on Texas and the destruction left by Hurricane Harvey and its historic rainfall, powerful Hurricane Irma is rapidly intensifying in the open Atlantic and poses a major threat to the Caribbean and potentially to the United States next week.

With the storm still five days away from the outermost Caribbean islands and at least a week away from any potential US impacts, there is still a lot of uncertainty about where it will go.

The range of possibilities presented by the forecast models more than a week out literally spreads from Mexico to Canada -- and everywhere in between.

Irma was designated a tropical storm Wednesday morning, and by Thursday afternoon, it had strengthened into a large Category 3 hurricane, with winds of 115 mph. Such explosive strengthening is known as "rapid intensification," defined by the National Hurricane Center as having its wind speed increase at least 30 knots (35 mph) in 24 hours.

"Irma has become an impressive hurricane," the National Hurricane Center said Thursday, noting the rapid intensification. "This is a remarkable 50 knot (58 mph) increase from yesterday at this time."

Irma Turning Into Monster Hurricane:

"Highest Windspeed Forecasts I've Ever Seen" - ZeroHedge.com

Hurricane Irma continues to strengthen much faster than pretty much any computer model predicted as of yesterday or even this morning. Per the National Hurricane Center's (NHC) latest update, Irma is currently a Cat-3 storm with sustained winds of 115 mph but is expected to strengthen to a devastating Cat-5 with winds that could top out at 180 mph or more. Here is the latest from the NHC as of 5PM EST:

Irma has become an impressive hurricane with intense eyewall convection surrounding a small eye. Satellite estimates continue to rapidly rise, and the Dvorak classifications from both TAFB & SAB support an initial wind speed of 100 kt. This is a remarkable 50-kt increase from yesterday at this time.

- Father God, with Hurricane Harvey and as "watchers on the wall," we were all pretty much ambushed and very few of us saw this one coming.

Now, we do. Lord God, we thank you that the prayers of the righteous avail much, so we now offer this prayer to you, in advance of this approaching storm:

We rebuke this storm Irma and command it to cease and desist and bind it with Holy Golden Ropes. It is written that whatsoever is bound on earth is bound in heaven, so we remind this storm that it is fully bound both on earth and in heaven and whatsoever is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven.

We loose the Breath of God, the Ruach ha Qodesh over this beast so that it is stilled, cooled and calmed both on earth and in heaven according to the Word of God. We tell these waters to cool down and stop stirring the pot of destruction. We know that Jesus Christ is in the boat with us and therefore we declare the shalom of God over these waters with the full authority and confidence of Jesus Christ. We command this storm to stay over the waters and turn back on itself. You are not welcome on any land and we give you notice that you will stay off the land - Keep off all lands.

The land has been committed to our King Jesus - for His glory to be revealed in might, in majesty and in goodness -and the unity of the body as it is written in John 17. Amen.

- "...Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm." Matthew 8:26