GETTY/NC There are fears Hurricane Irma will reach speeds of 180mph

The latest huge storm, coming so soon after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas and Louisiana, is heading towards the Caribbean. It was forecast to possibly hit the USA territory of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and neighbouring Haiti by the middle of next week. And there are fears the hurricane could turn towards the USA, leaving further devastation in its wake. Veteran USA forecaster Michael Ventrice posted the track model on Twitter overnight and warned it looked like the storm could be a “super typhoon”, with sustained speeds of over 180mph.

These are the highest windspeed forecasts I've ever seen in my 10 yrs of Atlantic hurricane forecasting. #Irma is another retiree candidate. pic.twitter.com/e6nMsp1myY — Michael Ventrice (@MJVentrice) August 31, 2017

He wrote: “These are the highest windspeed forecasts I've ever seen in my 10 yrs of Atlantic hurricane forecasting. “Irma is another retiree candidate.” Mr Ventrice said he hoped the incredible speeds had been over-estimated and the storm would not be as potentially devastating as it appeared.

But he admitted the outlook was “scary” and, if the data was correct, Irma could rival Hurricane Allen in 1980 for record speed. Allen, which struck the Caribbean, parts of Mexico and southern Texas, reached Category 5 status and has been designated one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded. It killed 290 people and huge damage as it swept along. Although Irma showed signs of slowing on Friday, Mr Ventrice said it had begun intensifying again and its eye was expanding. National Hurricane Centre forecaster Eric Blake said: “An upper-level low will be dropping southward on the east side of that high, and should be a key feature to how far south Irma goes before eventually turning westward and west-northwestward early next week.” On Wednesday morning, Irma was designated as a tropical storm but has already been upgraded to a Category 3 hurricane, with speeds of 115mph.

Hurricane Harvey's catastrophic destruction Sat, September 2, 2017 Hurricane Harvey was the first major hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Wilma in 2005 Play slideshow REUTERS 1 of 26 A U.S. Air Force pararescueman carries a young girl to safety over flood waters caused by Hurricane Harvey in Houston