Picture of the Miami skyline as Hurricane Irma approaches
Picture of a hurricane in a satellite image
Picture of a person walking through rubble after Hurricane Irma
Picture of flamingos in a shelter
Picture of a woman removing water from her house after Hurricane Irma
Picture of people sitting near flood water in Haiti
Picture of a man walking down a flooded street in Haiti
Picture of destruction from a hurricane
Picture of people hugging after a hurricane
Pictures Reveal Hurricane Harvey's Catastrophic Destruction
PHOTOS
The Miami skyline is seen Hurricane Irma started to reach Florida on September 9.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOE RAEDLE, GETTY
Hurricane Irma moves over Cuba and towards the Florida coast as a category 4 storm in this satellite image taken on September 9.
PHOTOGRAPH BY NOAA-NASA GOES PROJECT VIA GETTY
A man walks on a street covered in debris after Hurricane Irma hit on the island of St. Martin on September 8.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARTIN BUREAU, AFP/GETTY
Flamingos take refuge in a shelter in a zoo in Miami, Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma on September 9.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ADREES LATIF, REUTERS
A woman uses a can to remove water in her house following Hurricane Irma in Fort Liberte, Haiti on September 8.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDRES MARTINEZ CASARES, REUTERS
People sit on a tree next to a flooded river in Haiti following Hurricane Irma on September 8.
PHOTOGRAPH BY HECTOR RETAMAL, AFP/GETTY
A man walks in street that was flooded in Fort Liberte, Haiti following Hurricane Irma on September 8.
PHOTOGRAPH BY HECTOR RETAMAL, AFP/GETTY
Destruction from Hurricane Irma on St. Martin island on September 6.
PHOTOGRAPH BY GERBEN VAN ES, DUTCH DEFENSE MINISTRY/AP
Residents of Culebra, Puerto Rico hug each other follwoing Hurricane Irma hug each other on September 7.
PHOTOGRAPH BY RAMON "TONITO" ZAYAS, GFR MEDIA/AP
A man removes tree limbs in Piñones, Puerto Rico following the destruction of Hurricane Irma on September 7.
PHOTOGRAPH BY XAVIER GARCIA, GFR MEDIA/AP
Destruction from Hurricane Irma in St. Martin on September 6.
PHOTOGRAPH BY GERBEN VAN ES, DUTCH DEFENSE MINISTRY/AP
A man examines destruction on a rural road from Hurricane Irma in Cañaboncito, Puerto Rico on September 7.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JUAN LUIS MARTINEZ, GDA/AP
Destruction on St. Martin island following Hurricane Irma on September 6.
PHOTOGRAPH BY GERBEN VAN ES, DUTCH DEFENSE MINISTRY/AP
People pick up debris in Fajardo, Puerto Rico as Hurricane Irma howled past Puerto Rico after thrashing several smaller Caribbean islands on September 6.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ALVIN BAEZ, REUTERS
The island of St. Martin in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on September 6. Irma cut a path of devastation across the northern Caribbean, leaving thousands homeless after destroying buildings and uprooting trees.
PHOTOGRAPH BY GERBEN VAN ES, DUTCH DEFENSE MINISTRY/AP
Families gather at a shelter in a local church during the evening before the arrival of Hurricane Irma in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic on September 6.
PHOTOGRAPH BY TATIANA FERNANDEZ, AP
A woman looks at heavy surf as Hurricane Irma approaches Luquillo, Puerto Rico on September 6. Irma is expected to reach the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by nightfall.
PHOTOGRAPH BY RICARDO ARDUENGO, AFP/GETTY
Police patrol the area as Hurricane Irma slams across islands in San Juan, Puerto Rico on September 6.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ALVIN BAEZ, REUTERS
Hurricane Irma, a record Category 5 storm, is seen in this NOAA image from GOES-16 satellite on September 5.
PHOTOGRAPH BY NOAA VIA REUTERS
Men cover the windows of a car parts store in preparation for Hurricane Irma in San Juan, Puerto Rico on September 5.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ALVIN BAEZ, REUTERS
People purchase plywood at The Home Depot as they prepare for Hurricane Irma on September 6 in Miami, Florida. It's still too early to know where the direct impact of the hurricane will take place but the state of Florida is in the area of possible landfall
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 9, 2017
Hurricane Irma is barreling toward the U.S. and Caribbean as the strongest hurricane over the Atlantic Ocean in recorded history. The storm is one of few to reach a rare Category 5 status, with peak winds reaching 185mph. (Learn how these monster storms are built.)
The storm comes on the heels of Hurricane Harvey, which dumped an unprecedented amount of rain on southeast Texas only a week ago.
Computer models for the meteorology website Weather Underground predict that the storm won’t dissipate until late Monday morning, after it chews through the northeastern Caribbean and north through Florida.
Photos from the National Hurricane Center’s weather satellites show the storm, with its roughly 30-mile-wide eye, spinning along a northwesterly past. To mitigate damage, thousands are evacuating Florida, and the state has declared a state of emergency.
See photos of how people are bracing for the storm’s impact and coping with damage that has already been inflicted.
HURRICANES 101 Hurricanes are massive storms with deadly force. Find out how they form, and what's being done to better predict their impact.