ACOSTA: With Texas still recovering from Hurricane Harvey, there's another dangerous storm churning in the Atlantic. Hurricane Irma is already a category 3 storm, and it could be headed towards the U.S. mainland. Meteorologist Tom Sater is tracking this. Tell us this ain't so. Tom, this does not sound good.</s>TOM SATER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No. It looks more and more like, Jim, we'll have a major hurricane next weekend impacting the U.S. We know it's a category 3 and most likely will be a category 4 this afternoon or tonight. We know the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles are under warnings right now, Antigua, Barbados, St. Kitts. It looks like Anguilla might have a direct hit. And then we'll be watching the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The computer models continue to have a good handle on the environment. The National Hurricane Center breaks it right in between the Bahamas and Cuba. At some point, we believe it would be lifted northward. Unfortunately, Jim, we're losing that window that would pick it up near the outer banks and slide it out into the open Atlantic. That window is shutting quickly. By looking at all the models, you see a tight cluster. We want to see that. Is it possible it will go into the gulf? It is, but probably not what we think will happen for sure. We think it will take a right turn. This could be a category 3 or 4 headed toward the southern coast of Florida or the Carolinas on 9/11. And just to give you an idea, this is the European and the U.S. model on 9/11. Puts it on the U.S. coastline in the southeast as a major hurricane.</s>ACOSTA: OK, Meteorologist Tom Sater, we'll all be watching Irma. Thank you very much. That's it for me. For our international viewers, "AMANPOUR" is next. For viewers in North America, "NEWSROOM" with Brooke Baldwin starts right now. Thanks for watching.
Cat-3 Hurricane Irma Could be Headed for U.S. Mainland.