Tornado warnings for Florida amid 130mph winds and record rain. Follow all the latest developments here
- Live: millions brace for impact of Hurricane Irma in Florida
- A tale of two Irmas: how Miami’s rich and poor prepare for the storm
- Havana flooded and 5,000 tourists evacuated from Cuba
- Irma’s destruction: island by island
What we know so far
CBS4 chief meteorologist Craig Setzer says the eye of Irma has missed Key West.
The center of the storm has wobbled right, missing Key West. Strongest wind and heavy rain over Big Pine Key. pic.twitter.com/Nt8eWexsI6
Wind speeds on land are increasing, reports meteorologist Adam Berg:
Recent 91mph wind gust at #KeyWest to go along with 71 mph at #MIA and #FortLauderale (FXE) @nbc6pic.twitter.com/tzydnD9Giv
This is another spectacular video from Fort Lauderdale, Florida:
Time-lapse video of daybreak in Fort Lauderdale, September 10, 2017.
Live stream: https://t.co/31Z0QwOrbs#irma Courtesy: Phillip Shaver. pic.twitter.com/vJVcQGLEtf
The United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA) has criticised the response of the UK government - defended earlier by defence secretary Michael Fallon - to the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Irma.
David Burt, UKOTA president and premier of Bermuda, said:
There is an urgent need for health and social welfare support which must be met now. We welcome the commitment from the UK government in providing some immediate resources to British Nationals within the Caribbean, while questioning the adequacy of its response in other areas such as a regional reconstruction fund, and the two-week wait for the arrival of HMS Ocean.
We note that the House of Commons Foreign Affairs and International Development Select Committees have raised these issues in terms as well. The overseas territories are diverse in our constitutions, populations and economic sustainability, encompassing the Caribbean, Europe, and most remote islands in the South Atlantic. We therefore call upon the UK government not only to commit immediate resources but also to examine and develop the long term economic self-sustainability of the overseas territories.
This is what Key West looks like now:
Eyewall and Storm Surge !! #HurricaneIrma#KeyWestpic.twitter.com/jI9kItZWqJ
The warning from the National Weather Service Key West spells out the situation for people in the Florida Keys in stark terms:
If you are here, please go to interior room away from windows. Treat these imminent extreme winds as if a tornado was approaching and move immediately to the safe room in your shelter. Take action now to protect your life. You should already be taking cover.
The power of Irma is captured in this video just posted on Twitter by Simon Brewer, who describes himself, among other things, as an “extreme weather journalist”:
Just getting more windy... @JustonStrmRiderpic.twitter.com/EvdeXKJCMJ
This video was taken in the last few minutes by a Miami Herald reporter in Key West:
Hurricane Irma arriving soon in Key West #mhhttps://t.co/Za2n0i7aO9
The eye of the hurricane has reached the lower Florida Keys and moves ever closer to Key West:
NORTHERN EYEWALL OF HURRICANE #IRMA REACHES THE LOWER FLORIDA KEYS. EYE IS 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF KEY WEST. https://t.co/pyUyGir4z6
The mayor of Miami Beach, Philip Levine, told CBS News This Morning the shift west of Hurricane Irma would spare Miami “the big brunt of it” but added:
The storm is so massive, it’s so huge it doesn’t make a difference if the actual core/centre doesn’t go over Miami, Miami Beach. We are still receiving and going to be receiving hurricane force winds and of course we are very concerned about the tidal surges.
This is what Hurricane Irma looked like on the radar a few minutes ago:
6:44 AM Radar loop shows eyewall of #HurricaneIrma moving into lower Keys. Strong rainbands continue to batter South #Florida. pic.twitter.com/Vh26fdASNb
This is the latest tornado warning from the National Weather Service:
Tornado Warning continues for Wellington FL, Royal Palm Beach FL, Loxahatchee Groves FL until 7:00 AM EDT pic.twitter.com/JTeqr5bbgQ
More than four million children are currently in Hurricane Irma’s path throughout Florida, with millions more at risk in the southeastern United States, according to Save the Children, which has urged action to address climate change in order to prevent the frequency of such storms.
Carolyn Miles, president and chief executive of Save the Children in the United States, said:
There are a multitude of risks to children during storms such as Irma—including storm damage, the chance of separation from parents and the psychological impacts of natural disaster.
We urge parents to do everything they can to help keep their children safe and out of harm’s way, including talking to their children about the storm, filling out an In Case of Emergency card and evacuating to shelters or safer areas when told to do so by authorities.
As a humanitarian agency, Save the Children’s priority in the next few days will be to get life-saving aid to areas worst affected by Hurricane Irma, and reach children stranded in remote pockets. But the best way to beat a hurricane is to stop it from happening - and addressing climate change is a key step in reducing the frequency – and ferocity – of storms in the future.
Investing in disaster risk reduction and bolstering the resilience of communities are crucial to break the cycle of disasters and miseries they bring.
This video shows the impact of Irma on Miami Beach even before the eye of the hurricane has reached landfall:
This is what #MiamiBeach looked like Saturday night as the strong outer bands from #HurricaneIrma moved onshore pic.twitter.com/fX3B8axNwd
Meteorologist Jim Cantore points out that Hurricane Donna landed in Key West on the same date 57 years ago:
For 1st time: looking at 2 consecutive Cat 4 landfalls in USA. #irma will put the worst hit on Keys since Donna in 1960 on same date 10Sept pic.twitter.com/qcbWujy4xC
The National Hurricane Center says that Hurricane Irma is about 40 miles (65km) south to south-east of Key West with the maximum sustained winds still at 130mph (210kph).
This is the advice issued by the National Weather Service in Key West:
***EVERYONE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS***
***IT IS TIME TO HUNKER DOWN***
***THE WORST WINDS ARE YET TO COME***#Irma#FLkeys#flwxpic.twitter.com/lmHTcRv68l
The UK’s defence secretary has defended the response by the UK to Hurricane Irma amid allegations that it has not been as effective in helping its territories as the likes of France and Holland.
Michael Fallon, told BBC One’s Andrew Marr show that the UK response, which he is responsible for, had been “as good as [that of] anyone else”. He also claimed that France has asked the UK for assistance. He said:
We weren’t late, we pre-positioned a ship in the Caribbean for the hurricane season. It wasn’t by chance that Mounts Bay, a huge 16,000 tonne aid ship with marines, with helicopter, with palettes of aid was in the Caribbean. She’s already been helping Anguilla, she’s already moved on to help the British Virgin Islands and it wasn’t until Thursday when we were clear about where most help was needed and we were clear which airfields were useable.
Then we started the airlifts - three flights went in on Friday, two went in yesterday, three more are going in today. We are putting in troops, we’re putting in additional helicopters and palettes of aid, backed up by police, medics and engineers.
In just four hours, the rainfall record for Fort Pierce, Florida, for this date has been broken, according to the National Weather Service.
4am | The sun hasn't even risen, & Ft Pierce has already broken their previous rainfall record for today (1.63"); measuring 3.93" as of now!
These videos show the scene in Miami:
Boats are breaking from their anchors in the bay behind Miami's Parrot Jungle. Seeing many come ashore - bad damage. @wsvn#HurrcaneIrmapic.twitter.com/15O7ZNE4rf
Minutes ago: Another band of heavy wind & rain blowing in from #HurricaneIrma in Miami. LIVE coverage: https://t.co/9W5mkpCWGZ@NBC6pic.twitter.com/WOK7G23msV
Warnings have been issued of the risk of tornadoes across Florida tonight.
A tornado risk through tonight for #FL. Isolated tornadoes are common with Hurricanes. Greatest threat exists east of the storm's path #flwxpic.twitter.com/MXGpYvXBXW
Hurricane #Irma 3 AM EDT position update from @NHC_Atlantic. Sustained hurricane-force winds expected to reach #FLKeys within 1-2 hours. pic.twitter.com/jQmRQJ2oMJ
The mayor of Tarpon Springs, in Pinellas County, Chris Alakouzos, which has the highest concentration of Greeks of any city in the US, has has been called by the president of Greece as Florida braces for Hurricane Irma.
Greece’s head of state Prokopis Pavlopoulos told the mayor that the nation’s thoughts were with the people of Tarpon Springs.
Hurricane Irma is edging closer to Key West and continues to have maximum sustained winds of 130mph.
#Irma is now 65 miles southeast of Key West with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph: https://t.co/fSI662UQBjpic.twitter.com/KDUhSeqS3h
What we know so far
Irma left a trail of destruction in Cuba after passing over the north coast of the Caribbean nation on Saturday night and Sunday morning. The capital, Havana, was flooded by surging sea water and the storm raked resorts built in recent years on the north coast, forcing the evacuation of 5,000 tourists.
Thousands of residents were also evacuated by soldiers, with many taken to government shelters and schools.
Related: Havana flooded and 5,000 tourists evacuated from coast as Irma hits Cuba
The US national hurricane centre has said that Irma is now back to a category 4 strength storm.
It is about 70 miles (115km) south-south-east of Key West with maximum sustained winds of 130mph (210kmh).
Related: Hurricane Irma: 'the most catastrophic storm Florida has ever seen'
Whoa... Just recorded a 69 knot gust here at the office in Key West! That's 79 mph!!! Again, please, please shelter in place, inside! #Irmapic.twitter.com/p28xkjiQ2B
AP has published a useful explainer of the phrase storm surge.
The storm surge is called dangerous and life-threatening, but what exactly is it?
Associated Press reports on animals affected by Hurricane Irma.
Mo the Sloth and Kramer the Emu are as innocent as they come, but they’re doing time in a county jail in Florida.
The National Hurricane Center says Irma’s projected path is continuing to shift to the west, just by a few crucial miles, which should keep its eye just off Florida’s west coast on a track to hit St Petersburg, not Miami or Tampa.
The hurricane’s leading edge was already lashing the Florida Keys with hurricane force winds. If the centre of the storm keeps moving over warm Gulf of Mexico water, it may regain more strength before making landfall again.
Related: Hurricane Irma: survivors tell of 'utter devastation' on Caribbean islands
I am in disbelief right now... This is Long Island, Bahamas and the ocean water is missing!!! That's as far as they see #HurricaneIrma wtf pic.twitter.com/AhPAonjO6s
.@kentuckyguard Airmen evacuate hundreds from Virgin Islands following Hurricane Irma https://t.co/kP6s3S18lXpic.twitter.com/GD8z98lY28
Some very practical advice from a Florida sheriff.
To clarify, DO NOT shoot weapons @ #Irma. You won't make it turn around & it will have very dangerous side effectshttps://t.co/CV4Y9OJknv
Irma is expected to rip through Florida’s southern archipelago on Sunday morning as a Category 4 storm, the second-highest designation on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Wind gusts near hurricane force began to batter the Florida Keys late on Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said.
Amid urgent warnings from state officials to evacuate before it was too late, downtown Miami was all but abandoned on Saturday. Sheets of rain swept through the deserted city of 400,000 people, forming large puddles in empty streets that are usually filled with tour buses and taxis.
The wind sent a construction crane spinning on the roof of the Miami Worldcenter, a billion dollar project near the home of the Miami Heat basketball team and the city’s performing arts centre.
From the State Department: As Hurricane Irma moves through the Caribbean, President Trump has issued emergency declarations for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Puerto Rico. A major disaster declaration has also been issued for the US Virgin Islands. A hurricane warning is in effect for central and southern Florida and the Florida Keys.
Related: Britain ‘not doing enough’ to help its Caribbean territories
The window for people in evacuation zones to flee was drawing to a close on Saturday, officials said, warning that gas stations would soon be without fuel and bridges would be closed in some areas.
Officials in Florida have ordered a total of 6.3 million people, or about a third of the state’s population, to evacuate, creating massive traffic jams on highways and overcrowding shelters.
In Palm Beach, President Donald Trump’s waterfront Mar-a-Lago estate was under evacuation order.
In Cuba, the destruction along the north central coast was similar to that suffered by other Caribbean islands over the last week as Irma plowed into Ciego de Avila province.
Cubans walked through ankle-deep water in Caibarien, a fishing town where streets were flooded and covered in seaweed. Elsewhere, winds toppled trees and utility polls or ripped apart roofs.
There is an update on the power supply situation. A total of 9 million people in Florida may lose power, some for weeks, according to the Florida Power & Light Co.
Catastrophe modelling firm AIR Worldwide said Irma could cause insurance losses of between $15 billion and $50 billion in the United States.
The National Hurricane Center has issued an alert saying: Life threatening storm surge expected in the Florida Keys and the west coast of Florida.
Some of those who have fled Florida are very pessimistic about what they will be returning to once Hurricane Irma subsides. Tom Durr, a 66-year-old retired physician and his wife, Lorraine, fled their house in Englewood, between Fort Myers and Sarasota near where the eye of the hurricane is forecast to makes landfall.
The left for a small farm they own in North Carolina on Tuesday, but Durr told Reuters he does not expect much to be left when they return.
The US National Weather Service says the first hurricane-force wind gust has been recorded in the Florida Keys as Irma inches closer to the state.
The weather service says the Smith Shoal Light station recorded a 74mph (119kmh) wind gust on Saturday night.
Florida Governor Rick Scott says at least 76,000 people are without power as Irma unleashes winds and rain on the state.
Scott said on Saturday night that the number of outages is expected to grow as Irma moves closer to the state.
Associated Press reports: Prime Minister William Marlin of St Maarten says about 1,600 tourists who were in the Dutch Caribbean territory have been evacuated and efforts are being made to move 1,200 more.
Marlin says many nations and people have offered help to St Maarten, but weather conditions will determine how this can be coordinated.
Related: Irma and Harvey lay the costs of climate change denial at Trump’s door
The US national hurricane centre says wind gusts “near hurricane strength” have been recorded in the Florida Keys as Irma moves closer to the state.
Marathon reported a wind gust of 71mph (114kmh) and sustained winds of 51mph (82kmh). Irma is about 105 miles (170km) southeast of Key West. It has winds of 125 mph (200kmh).
Hurricane Irma uprooted trees and tore off roofs in Cuba on Saturday with 125mph (200kmh) winds that damaged hotels in the island’s best-known beach resorts and forced evacuations as far along the coast as low-lying areas of the capital Havana.
Power was out and mobile phone service was spotty in many regions as Irma neared the end of a 200 mile (320km) trek westwards along the top of the island. It was forecast to head north towards Florida in the evening.
The centre of Hurricane Irma has now cleared the Cuban coast and entered the Florida Straits, where bathtub-warm water of nearly 90 degrees (32 degrees Celsius) will enable the storm to intensify.
Irma had fallen to a Category 3 storm with 125 mph winds, but National Hurricane Centre spokesman and meteorologist Dennis Feltgen says it’s already showing signs at high altitudes of regaining its previous powerhouse strength.
Current forecast for storm inundation. Red indicates "greater than 9 feet" above ground level –
forecasts are for up to 15 feet. #Irmapic.twitter.com/MdTUWGF9Sy
The latest advisories, just issued by the US National Hurricane Centre contain no changes from the earlier ones, with all existing warnings remaining in place.
Jose has sparked tropical storm warnings for the islands of Saint Martin and Saint Bathelemy.
Islands in the Caribbean already devestated by hurricane Irma are now facing impacts from hurricane Jose.
Although Jose is weaker, and moving away from the Islands, strong winds are likely to hit Peurto Rico and possibly The Dominican Republic as early as Sunday morning local time.
Here's the expected and possible tropical-storm-force caused winds Jose, for islands already devastated by Irma: pic.twitter.com/SgLhrVZ19k
The next big threat for those of us sheltering from Hurricane Irma in South Florida is a tornado.
My mobile phone has been screaming its high-pitched alarm every 10 minutes over the last hour or so with dire warnings from the National Weather Serviceto take cover NOW because of tornadic thunderstorms in the area.
Donald Trump has told people still in Hurricane Irma’s path to “just get out of its way” and not worry about possessions.
The president was monitoring the storm’s advance on Florida – where he has his Mar-a-Lago estate – from the secluded Camp David presidential retreat near Washington.
This is a storm of enormous destructive power, and I ask everyone in the storm’s path to heed ALL instructions from government officials. pic.twitter.com/nJfM2Sdme1
Related: How hurricanes and sea-level rise threaten Trump's Florida resorts
With night quickly approaching in Florida, the liveblog has been handed over to me and the team in Sydney, Australia, who will keep you updated for the next several hours.
As Florida braces itself for the full impact of hurrricane Irma, Cuba is reeling from its effects after the eye of the first Category 5 storm to make landfall on the island since 1932 passed over, just grazing the mainland with its full force.
The governor says his greatest fear right now is that people will underestimate the storm surge, which is expected to be as much as 15ft in the Florida Keys and parts of the south-west coast.
He recalls a storm some years ago that brought six-foot storm surges into Naples, and the breathtaking speed of the water crashing into homes. He says it’s hard to describe “how fast the water moved in and how fast the water moved out”.
Scott emphasizes that the dangers don’t end even once the storm itself has passed: there will be downed, live power lines, dangerous roads, lack of power, and likely shortages.
“Everyone’s going to have to be patient, and it’s going to be hard to be patient. Everybody’s going to want to go home and see what happened.”
The center of hurricane Irma will pass directly over the Florida Keys, governor Rick Scott says, at what’s likely one of his last updates before the storm grips Florida overnight and early Sunday morning.
“Millions of Floridians will see life-threatening winds beginning tonight,” he says, with the “significant threat of serious storm surge along the whole west coast of Florida.”
Jessica Glenza, reporting from St Petersburg, has spoken with evacuees from around the city and other areas of Florida’s west coast.
As the storm approached Tampa Bay, people on the western edge of the bay in Pinellas county “scrambled” to get ready for a hurricane likely to bring 110 mile per hoursustained winds to the low-lying county.
Puerto Rico, where US naval ships and supplies are en route to provide relief, is still struggling with massive power outages and, in some places, water shortages.
Thousands of people have already lost power in south Florida, with the eye of the storm still over 100 miles off the coast.
UPDATE: 582,615 without power in Puerto Rico #HurricaneIrma
Gusts of intense wind and rain are intermittently whipping through Miami now, and waters rising all around the Florida Keys. The storm is expected to strengthen as it crosses the 120 miles or so from Cuba’s north coastline.
Miami-Dade mayor Carlos Giminez is giving a press conference. He says that officials consider a four to six foot storm surge to be life threatening, and expect surges within that range for parts of the county. The worst of the winds will be around 4am, he says, roughly in line with the worst winds at daybreak at the Florida Keys.
Powerful wind and rain blowing into Miami right now. #hurricaneIrma@NBC6pic.twitter.com/6CKPPeK811
Parts of Cuba have been turned to flooded and battered ruins, the AP reports, as Irma finally moves away from its northern coast.
Cuban coastal cities were clobbered by high winds from Irma that upended trees, toppled utility poles and scattered debris across streets. Roads were blocked, and witnesses said a provincial museum near the eye of the storm was in ruins.
There were no immediate reports of casualties in Cuba in addition to the more than 20 confirmed dead across the Caribbean, where the storm ravaged such lush resort islands as St. Martin, St. Barts, St. Thomas, Barbuda and Anguilla.
On the Dutch side of St. Martin, an island divided between French and Dutch control, an estimated 70 percent of the homes were destroyed by Irma, according to the Dutch government. Officials said Jose was forecast to dump more rain on the island’s buildings, many of which lost their roofs to Irma.
As Irma rolled in, Cuban soldiers went through coastal towns to force people to evacuate, taking people to shelters at government buildings and schools and even caves.
With its 5pm advisory, the National Hurricane Center says that hurricane Irma’s eye is moving away off the coast of Cuba and toward the mainland United States.
The Florida Keys, where water is already rushing up onto land in some areas, should expect “major hurricane force winds” at daybreak. Irma is still about 120 miles south-east of the archipelago. There are already tornado warnings in many south Florida counties.
TRACKING Hurricane Irma : view from my cousins home in North Miami,Sunny Isles Beach.Irma hasn't made landfall & this is what it looks like pic.twitter.com/V6uFG2FmhC
Storm surges are already pushing waters up onto land of the Florida Keys, with alarming video coming from local reporters in the path of hurricane Irma.
The hurricane is still over a hundred miles away, near the coast of Cuba. The Keys will be its first landfall after regaining strength, likely to a category four.
4:54pm - This is US 1 north of Key Largo right now. #Irmapic.twitter.com/K8zFHjPQZe
Winds are picking up dramatically in south Florida now, as hurricane Irma begins its progress to the north and west. Time is nearly run out for people to get inside or to shelters, and curfews are starting in many cities and counties of the south.
4:30PM - 70mph wind gust at Fort Lauderdale Airport over the last thirty minutes. @nbc6pic.twitter.com/Cr9eA5FoGm
Two Miamis waited in dread for hurricane Irma, reports Ed Pilkington: the Miami of hardened hurricane glass, thickened walls, generators and raised foundations; and the Miami of coolers packed with food and water, just enough gas to fill the car.
One mother of all hurricanes, two very different experiences. In Liberty City, the African American neighborhood that inspired the Oscar-winning movie Moonlight, the chances of escaping Irma’s devastating wrath are all but non-existent. When almost half the residents are below the federal poverty level, generators and storm windows are not an option, let alone a few boards of plywood and a tank of gas.
Related: A tale of two Irmas: rich Miami ready for tumult as poor Miami waits and hopes
Hurricane Irma has turned north-west, its winds and rain starting to lash over south Florida. Some reporters are on the roads or in the Keys – something that authorities are pleading with people not to do as the storm nears – documenting the increasingly severe weather.
Thousands of people have already lost power around south Florida, Florida Power & Light has reported, with 6,500 in Broward County and several hundred in western counties.
Palms swaying near Key West airport as Hurricane Irma nears the island pic.twitter.com/Vpt02X0xOJ
The wet ride to #Sarasota for #hurricaneirma@CBS12pic.twitter.com/tbfS6ipxjD
The National Weather Service has posted its 4pm update on hurricane Irma, which is about 125 mils south-east of Key West. The storm is still a category three, with sustained winds of 125mph, its eye moving at about 9mph.
Conditions are getting bad in the Keys. At Molasses Reef, a marine, there are sustained winds of 49mph with a gust to 56mph. In Marathon, the NWS detected sustained winds of 41mph with a gust of 55mph.
Don’t take chances with your safety- if you are in an evacuation zone, LEAVE NOW. For evacuation routes visit https://t.co/PdBTDyGQxH
Eleven of Miami-Dade’s 25 shelters are at capacity for people, and several shelters are full in Collier and Lee counties.
Don’t hesitate to call the FL Emergency Information Line 1-800-342-3557; available 24/7 for families and visitors.
160 FPL customers out of 56,300 in Indian River County are out of power #Irma
Hurricane Irma is still crawling its way along Cuba’s north coast en route to south-west Florida, where the Keys jut out directly in its path.
At the southernmost point of the island chain, people are defying the orders to get to shelter in order to take selfies with the crashing waves.
#Irma is less than 140 miles southeast of Key West, moving west at 9mph. Eye showing up on KBYX radar: pic.twitter.com/a2jfVRIAsZ
The webcam is still live at the southernmost point of the Florida Keys https://t.co/tHcuDvjrKzpic.twitter.com/ww56tbmFWj
Florida’s emergency management department repeats the governor’s plea for healthcare assistance around the state: nurses needed.
FLORIDA STILL NEEDS NURSES willing to volunteer their time at our special needs shelters. You can also email HelpFL@FLhealth.gov https://t.co/b8xd1Yc6iw
Jessica Glenza, reporting from St Petersburg, on Florida’s Gulf coast, is with her father Mike – a Florida man for decades and witness to many disastrous storms.
As Hurricane Irma approaches south Florida, the forecasts for Tampa Bay are increasingly dire. And I’m helping my dad board up his house.
Curfews are set to begin at various times this afternoon and evening in south Florida, as authorities try to get people inside before strong winds start turn debris into projectiles and rain becomes blinding.
Irma is still near the north coast of Cuba, moving about 9mph.
Southbound I-95 in #WPB, 10 minutes before countywide curfew begins. pic.twitter.com/tuWkdQFwFh
Irma will regain strength as it moves away from Cuba, with winds predicted of more than 110mph by the time it reaches the Florida Keys early Sunday.
The latest projections from the National Hurricane Center show the storm moving at about 9mph, with winds of 125mph, still over Cuba’s northern shore. The hurricane has not yet turned north back over warmer waters.
Get the latest on #Irma at https://t.co/meemB5uHAR. Strengthening is expected in the coming hours as it moves towards the FL coast. pic.twitter.com/LLkDvYn7dV
Richard Luscombe, reporting from Miami, where he’s met a couple whose future is tied up in a property directly in the path of hurricane Irma.
In Worthing, West Sussex, more than 4,500 miles away from where Hurricane Irma is churning away, Florida villa owners Rob and Sue Carter nervously click on every internet update and social media post they can find about the monster storm’s projected path and intensity.
In Miami, gusts of strong wind and rain are periodically slamming onto the buildings and streets, but the weather is far from uniform around south Florida as Irma lingers over Cuba.
Facebook live from Edgewater, Miami as a strong outer band of #HurricaneIrma blew in a few minutes ago: https://t.co/vJWXGeseiD@NBC6pic.twitter.com/sEIP81iQO5
That moment the wave hits...#IRMA@CBS12pic.twitter.com/Y27FgoHLIk
Florida governor Rick Scott, repeating his warnings as much as possible on television and in person to residents, says hurricane Irma will eclipse hurricane Andrew, the devastating 1992 storm, as the most frightening storm in the state’s history.
"This is the most catastrophic storm the state has ever seen." @FLGovScott is issuing urgent warnings to residents: https://t.co/AF15mgMMoxpic.twitter.com/IfAbbz6XDB
Jessica Glenza, reporting from her childhood home of St Petersburg – now in Irma’s path on the Gulf coast – writes that south Florida’s grocery stores are nearly as barren as the roads and city blocks.
At the grocery store shelves are bare of the essentials - bleach, soup, beans, bread.
Update: Publix will have store closures in south and central Florida. For full list and details visit: https://t.co/DCoTPsYjT6
Cuba is suffering the worst of hurricane Irma’s winds and rain right now, as the category three storm tracks its way across land along the coast. In Miami, intermittent gusts and rainfall have given away for the moment, with the storm still over 150 miles to the south.
Irma is expected to regain strength as it heads northward, with a projected course along Florida’s west coast.
Heavy damage reported in #SantaClara#Cuba as #HurricaneIrma impacts the island @Telemundo51pic.twitter.com/oyBK2rPBlt
Downtown Miami is rain and wind-free right now. Also empty. Almost no activity on streets. pic.twitter.com/NjNGv9Bl38
Florida governor Rick Scott is giving another update, now with an increasingly dire forecast for the south-west coast and Tampa.
He warns that in some places storm surges could be 15ft above ground level. “Think about that. Fifteen feet is devastating and will cover your house,” he says. In Tampa, the storm surge is forecast to be five to eight feet. “The typical first story is seven to nine feet. That is a life threatening situation.”
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Florida until 12 AM EDT pic.twitter.com/dZUmtYYzZJ
Florida officials have asked another 700,000 to leave ahead of Hurricane Irma, the AP reports, meaning that nearly seven million Americans across several states have been ordered to evacuate.
The extraordinary evacuation is the largest in many counties’ histories, and involves a mass exodus from on of the nation’s most populous states. Miami enacted a curfew from 6pm to 9am; Broward county from 4pm until Saturday morning.
Here is the latest forecast track on #Irmapic.twitter.com/UAlb3rjFSu
The National Weather Service is now predicting 10-20in of rain, with 20-25in in the Florida Keys and other particularly vulnerable regions.
The storm will bring “life-threatening winds” all around Florida, the agency says, “regardless of the exact track of the center”. The wind hazards will reach as far north as Georgia and South Carolina over the next day. In the southernmost points of the state, stations are bracing for the worst case scenarios.
*ALERT: There is imminent danger of life-threatening, CATASTROPHIC storm surge for SW #Florida. If ordered to evacuate, do so immediately!
Hurricane Irma has lost some of its force as its winds break across Cuba’s northern coast, but the island is bearing the brunt of that. Towns there have been hit by gigantic storm surges.
The National Weather Service predicts that south-west Florida’s coastline will see similar surges, possibly with flooding as high as 10-15ft.
Irma has submerged the town of Caibarien, Cuba under several feet of water. pic.twitter.com/qz4QwNdYak
More than 50,000 people have gone to about 300 shelters around Florida, state emergency management officials have said, from about 5.6 million people told to leave their homes in coastal stretches.
The AP reports that the Florida Keys evacuated about 460 inmates and 125 corrections officers from a jail on Stock Island, toward the bottom of the archipelago that lies in Irma’s path.
MORE: #Irma 175 miles SE of Key West, FL, moving west at 9 mph; expected head up western coast of Florida. https://t.co/phlp5E0BALpic.twitter.com/b6XtIF92YI
The National Weather Service has downgraded hurricane Irma to a cateogry three storm, with maximum sustained winds of 125mph as it hammers into Cuba’s northern coastline.
But the storm is expected to regain power as a category four as it moves away from the island and into the warm waters near south Florida and the Keys.
Hurricane #Irma's sustained winds are now down to 125 MPH. Strengthening expected. #Jose's winds are at 145 MPH. 12-hour #GOES16 IR loop. pic.twitter.com/HrwZs3ZlNI
Wind and rain picking up a bit along US1 and SW 328th in #Homestead@nbc6pic.twitter.com/PPd9NYWzCT
South of Naples, Florida, on the state’s Gulf coast, the Tampa Bay Times’s Zack Sampson tweets that the outer bands of rain have reached the beaches.
And it just began to rain. A man is on his third floor balcony, smoking a cigar. #irmapic.twitter.com/wKufXxk9LT
Already windy and pouring outside the Dadeland South Metrorail station in Miami. No businesses open and almost no one outside this morning. pic.twitter.com/cPI7siTgtX
Hurricane Irma is “going to go faster than you are”, Florida governor Rick Scott has warned residents, telling them that people in evacuation zones in the south-west should head to inland shelters immediately.
Storm surges in parts of Florida could be as extreme as 12ft, Scott warned: “This will cover your house.”
Wind gusts picking up for South Florida. Nobody reporting hurricane gusts yet but that will change. @NBC6#NBC6pic.twitter.com/ijbHhMb9et
At one of the final updates before the storm strikes the US mainland, Rick Scott, the Florida governor, has urged residents to make their final moves to shelters or to protect their homes.
“I urge everyone to talk to your neighbors, your family and friends,” Scott said. “Every Floridian should take this seriously and be aggressive to protect your family. … Your positions can be replaced, your life cannot be replaced, your family cannot be replaced.”
As Irma continues apace throughout the Caribbean, women, children and the most vulnerable in Saint-Martin are the first to flee the island as hurricane Jose approaches.
The Florida attorney general has announced that there have been 8,000 complaints following reports that airlines applied surge pricing – or price gouging – after the hurricane precipitated extreme demand.
“This is the time to help our neighbors, not take advantage of them,” declared Governor Rick Scott yesterday.
Rick Scott, the governor of Florida, is speaking at a press conference now.
If you have been ordered to be evacuated, leave now. Not tonight, right now.
Once the storm hits, remember law enforcement can’t safe you ...
Britons in the path of Hurricane Irma are being warned the “situation could deteriorate significantly” as it bears down on the US mainland.
The foreign and commonwealth office has said its ability to provide assistance may be “extremely limited” and advised those affected to make their own contingency plans.
Across the United States, it is important that you follow the advice of the local authorities, including any evacuation orders.
The situation could deteriorate significantly. Our ability to provide assistance may be extremely limited.
Hurricane Jose is set to make landfall in the eastern Caribbean islands already ravaged by Hurricane Irma.
Hurricane Irma really is storm of the century – but urge all in path of Hurricane #Jose to prepare & stay safe too https://t.co/U0m3Kf1APMpic.twitter.com/vB8tlTTij3
Governments – the UK in the British Virgin Islands, the US in the US Virgin Islands – need to do all they can to help people here who have lost their homes and in many cases will have lost their livelihoods after the storm.
Man-made climate change is contributing to increasingly strong hurricanes causing unprecedented damage. The whole world should be scrambling to get on top of the climate change issue before it is too late – for this generation, let alone the generations to come.
My colleague Ed Pilkington is in Miami and has this update on the atmosphere as Hurricane Irma heads towards Florida:
Amid the relentless news of devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Irma, millions of Floridians bracing for one of the strongest storms to hit the US mainland this century will clutch at any good news, and they got some this morning.
In the 8am advisory from the National Hurricane Center, which is being watched here in South Florida with almost biblical zeal, the weather experts told us that the hurricane’s winds had slowed from about 155mph to 130mph as a little of its terrifying energy was soaked up by the landmass on the coast of Cuba.
The Cuban dolphins aren’t the only animals to be evacuated thanks to Hurricane Irma.
These roosters are being taken to safety in Florida, wrapped in newspaper jackets or “burritos” to avoid any squabbles on the car journey.
Roosters evacuating Key West in paper burritos so they don't fight each other. pic.twitter.com/NANVWRLTmG
The Guardian has spoken to Joe Farrar from Manchester, who is on holiday in Varadero, Cuba with his girlfriend, Helen. He says he was meant to leave Cuba on Friday, but Thomas Cook delayed his flight. He says Canadian tourists had been evacuated from the resort complex, but British tourists have been left at the hotel.
Hurricane Irma is set to hit the peninsula tonight.
We’re a bit scared. We’ve been left in limbo. They told us that they’ll turn off the power when the storm hits. If it gets really bad, we have to get in the bathroom.
The hotel staff have been brilliant to us. We are alright, but there’s a couple here who need medication and they’re running out. I’m sure we will be fine – we have crisps.
Here @ThomasCookCares still think the hurricane won't pass here? #irma#cuba thanks for leaving us pic.twitter.com/LHmLJ556G5
The window for Florida residents to safely evacuate narrowed on Saturday as strong winds and outer rain bands hit the southern part of the state on a predicted path for landfall southwest of the heavily populated Miami metro area.
Hurricane Irma is currently moving along the coast of Cuba about 215 miles away from Miami, as it makes its way towards the US peninsula.
Packed Red Cross shelter in west Miami dade. We're starting to feel the beginning of some bands here pic.twitter.com/qxaF2DBnEy
The UK government has pledged to double any public donations made to the British Red Cross appeal for victims of Hurricane Irma.
For every £1 given towards the relief effort in the Caribbean, another £1 will be added through the department for international development’s aid match scheme, up to £3m.
Today we are announcing we will double any public donations which are made to the British Red Cross appeal through DFID’s Aid Match scheme.
The overwhelming generosity of the UK public in times of crisis is one of the things that makes Britain truly great.
We would like to thank DFID for supporting our Hurricane Irma appeal, raising urgent funds for those affected by this devastating disaster. The most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic has left major destruction in its wake.
Red Cross teams are on the ground now supporting people in shelters, providing first aid and doing whatever they can to help.
Meteorologists have reported that damaging winds are blowing into South Florida as Hurricane Irma continues its menacing approach on the US mainland.
The National Weather Service say that damaging winds are moving into areas including Key Biscayne, Coral Gables and South Miami.
The British Army and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are delivering aid to those affected by Hurricane Irma.
Highly-trained soldiers have arrived in The Caribbean and are delivering immediate aid following #HurricaneIrmapic.twitter.com/gAkpOLlHN7
RFA Mounts Bay delivering #UKaid shelter kits, water and medical supplies by helicopter to Tortola airport in British Virgin Islands #Irmapic.twitter.com/Z4JxVGpkQZ
The UK government has pledged to double any public donations to our #HurricaneIrma emergency appeal.
Donate now: https://t.co/wuouRR6fKGpic.twitter.com/eiGOQKqvEZ
I heard directly from our consul general in Miami about the support that is being given to British nationals living in Florida and also British tourists in Florida.
We are, of course, working with the US authorities to ensure that every support is available and everything can be done before Hurricane Irma reaches Florida.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have released an updated advisory on US travel saying that its ability to assist British people in Florida may be limited and anyone there should follow advice from local authorities.
It is unknown how many Brits are currently in Florida, a popular holiday destination for families and older people.
#USA#Irma Situation could deteriorate. Our ability to assist you may be limited. Consider travel plans carefully.https://t.co/AZOJ2sNR6tpic.twitter.com/nqqFmoUtoY
Across the United States it is important that you follow the advice of the local authorities, including any evacuation orders. The situation could deteriorate significantly. Our ability to provide assistance may be extremely limited. You should ensure you have your own contingency plans in place and consider your travel plans very carefully.
Cuba prides itself on hurricane preparations, and Irma is no different. Over 1 million Cubans were evacuated before the storm, according to local media. Even dolphins have been transported to safety.
Here’s a summary of what we know so far if you are just joining me.
Frozen star Josh Gad has described his co-star Kristen Bell as “an angel sent from above” after she helped his family who were caught up in Hurricane Irma.
Gad, who voices snowman Olaf in the animated hit, said Bell arranged for a hotel room for his parents when they were stranded in Florida as the US state braced for the storm to hit.
No joke. @IMKristenBell just literally saved my parents, my brothers and entire family from #HurricaineIrma - you are an angel. I adore you. pic.twitter.com/XGWuOCjonB
So @kristenanniebell literally saved my parents and my entire family tonight from hurricane irma.
When they were stranded in Florida, she got them a hotel room at her hotel in Orlando and saved them, my brothers, my sister-in-law and niece and nephew.
Where would American disasters be without fake news circulating online? Hoax articles about Hurricane Irma are being pumped out by hastily created sites but, luckily, Snopes– a leading fact-checking site – has been assiduously debunking their false truths.
One viral message claimed that the 2005 movie Category 7: The End of the World predicted the arrival of hurricanes named Harvey and Irma. However, according to Snopes, none of the storms or hurricanes in the movie are called Harvey or Irma.
A British man and his family are “lucky to be alive” after they survived Hurricane Irma.
Brendan Joyce, his wife Sasha, her father and their children sheltered in his father-in-law’s house as the storm tore across Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.
The first time he phoned, he phoned me in tears and said, ‘we’re alive, there’s nothing else.’ He is really worried about food and shelter, and worried about how it’s going to pan out. They have two little boys as well, so they are trying to keep them calm.
Back in Scotland we’re devastated as a family. We feel so helpless as we can’t do anything for them, they’re away over there. It’s amazing that they are alive.
My aunt and uncle have lived in the British Virgin Islands for nearly 50 years and have survived many, many hurricanes, but they realised that this was a hugely significant one and took all the precautions. They shuttered up and took shelter in a back bedroom that’s the most secure.
They were all in that room with the adults lying on top of the small children. When they came out, the eyewall of the tornado had ripped the concrete house apart.
Here’s more details on Hurricane Irma weakening to category 4 and the status on the other hurricanes in the area.
Associated Press reports:
The National Hurricane Center says Irma has weakened slightly to a category-4 hurricane, as it moves over the Camaguey Archipelago of Cuba.
Irma had briefly regained category-5 strength late on Friday, but now has maximum sustained winds of 155 mph (249 kph). The hurricane is about 245 miles from Miami and moving about 12 mph toward the west-northwest.
Universal Studios Florida has joined Disney World, Legoland and SeaWorld by shutting its doors as Irma heads for Florida.
For your safety, please be aware of the following operational changes. For updates, visit us at https://t.co/v3P5FHfYsPpic.twitter.com/pkaCQcBiAr
We will be fully closed on Sunday and Monday and we anticipate normal operating hours on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Our on-site hotels are currently at full capacity and will remain operational as they focus on taking care of our on-sire guests.
Sam Branson, son of Virgin billionaire Richard Branson, says he is heading to help those devastated by Hurricane Irma on the British Virgin Islands, where his family owns an island.
The Branson family was caught up in the hurricane and took refuge in the wine cellar under their house on Necker Island.
George W Bush’s presidency never fully recovered from his botched handling of Hurricane Katrina. Barack Obama won re-election just days after Hurricane Sandy struck. So how can presidents respond effectively to natural disasters? And how has Donald Trump managed the response to Harvey and Irma?
President Trump’s “reckless” attitude to climate change is being shown to be folly as Hurricane Irma tears towards Florida, a major charity has said.
Miami, in the south of the state, topped the list of most vulnerable cities to climate change induced coastal flooding, in a report produced by Christian Aid last year.
We’re starting to see what happens when climate breakdown occurs on a global scale. As well as Hurricane Irma we currently have two other hurricanes in the west Atlantic, Jose and Katia, not to mention the destruction from Hurricane Harvey in Texas.
While we’re seeing the richest country on earth struggling to cope with the devastation of extreme weather, don’t forget the 40 million people affected by floods in South Asia, an area without anywhere near the same infrastructure or resources to cope.
The cost of the reckless climate policies espoused by Donald Trump will be paid in the lives of people living in these places and the trillions of dollars lost in places like Miami and New York, not to mention the economic disruption and the money needed to rebuild cities suffering from floods and storm damage.
That is why if we don’t invest now in low carbon infrastructure to decarbonise our economies we will end up paying for it later.
Dutch marines have dropped flyers from a helicopter warning inhabitants on the devastated nation of St. Maarten to head to shelters as Hurricane Jose heads its way, following in Irma’s path.
Jose, a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds, was forecast to pass close to St. Maarten over the weekend, delivering a second damaging blow to the former Dutch colony that suffered catastrophic damage when Category 5 Hurricane Irma slammed into it on Wednesday.
Flyers boven St Maarten vanuit heli ZEELAND om bevolking te waarschuwen voor orkaan José . Oproep om naar shelters te gaan.@kon_marine#irmapic.twitter.com/EvS5hLcLXK
Hurricane Irma, which is passing over north Cuba, is now a category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 155 miles per hour, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
However, it is still being described as “powerful and large”.
5AM ADVISORY: Hurricane #Irma has "weakened" a bit back down to a CAT 4 storm as it continues to impact Cuba. Winds are down to 155 mph. pic.twitter.com/ECuQuNsNVP
9/9 5AM Tropical Update: #Irma continues to move closer to South Florida as a powerful, large Category 4 Hurricane #FLwxpic.twitter.com/zwfDtQqW6p
Some good news as Storm Katia – formerly a category one hurricane – rapidly weakened after it made landfall near the beach resort of Tecolutla in the state of Veracruz on the Mexican Gulf coast, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Katia was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm as it was about 110 miles (175 km) northwest of Veracruz, Mexico with sustained winds of 45 mph (70 kmh), the center said in an advisory.
Related: Mexico earthquake kills at least 61 and sparks mass evacuations
Patrick Oppmann, Cuba correspondent for CNN, is live tweeting his experiences as Irma gives Cuba “holy hell”.
Irma giving Cuba holy hell right now; winds do not let up.
Water is half way up the 1st floor of house I am in. We should be fine, many others will not.
Pitch dark and the wind screaming. What a night.
With Hurricane Jose gaining in strength and hot on the heels of Irma – which left 90% of the island of Barbuda devastated – almost all of its population of around 1,400 people has been evacuated to the larger sister island of Antigua.
Only a few people “resisted the call” to evacuate.
Except for a few persons who resisted the call to evacuate and the security forces the EVACUATION OF BARBUDA IS COMPLETE.. pic.twitter.com/bk5ZWdi8ky
Hurricane Jose has “almost” reached category five strength, with top winds of 155 mph (250kmh) as it heads towards the eastern Caribbean islands ravaged by Hurricane Irma.
Related: Hurricane Jose: storm 'almost category five' as it follows Irma's destructive path
Matt Taylor, a broadcast meteorologist for the BBC, has commented on the language used in a tweet from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Key West, Florida, which urged people to evacuate.
The tweet said: “THIS IS AS REAL AS IT GETS... NOWHERE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS WILL BE SAFE ... YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO EVACUATE”.
Us meteorologists are naturally reserved in the language we use. When you see this issued then, you know this really is the real deal ... https://t.co/V7VAWDGPXC
This is Nicola Slawson in the UK taking over from Claire. I’ll be keeping you up to date throughout the day on Hurricane Irma.
The first victim of Irma was two-year-old Carl Junior Francis, Associated Press reports:
On Barbuda, a coral island rising a mere 125ft (38m) above sea level, authorities ordered an evacuation of all 1,400 people to neighbouring Antigua, where Stevet Jeremiah was reunited with one son and made plans to bury another.
Jeremiah, who sells lobster and crab to tourists, was huddled in her wooden home on Barbuda early Wednesday with her partner and their two- and four-year-old boys as Irma ripped open their metal roof and sent the ocean surging into the house.
The weather service for Florida’s Tampa Bay has issued a stark warning of the expected impact of Irma as it sweeps across the state.
The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Keys from Sunday morning and move north across the state – but tropical storm-force winds are expected from Saturday morning, within hours. Wind speeds are already elevated and the outer rain bands of the hurricane have brushed the east Florida coast.
Irma is a large and broad hurricane, so regardless of the exact track of the centre of the storm, there will be impacts felt across the peninsula.
It is expected to turn north towards south-west Florida later today [Saturday], brining hurricane-force winds to much of the local area Sunday afternoon through early Monday. Hurricane-force wind gusts will likely be experienced across the entire peninsula through early Monday …
Welcome to our continuing live coverage of Hurricane Irma – now with Hurricane Jose on its heels.
Here are the latest updates:
If you are planning to leave and do not leave tonight, you will have to ride out this extremely dangerous storm at your own risk.
Related: Irma's destruction: island by island
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