Hurricane Irma has strengthened to a Category 5 storm, and catastrophic damage is possible in the Florida Keys and southern Florida this weekend as a second storm has formed behind it.
Irma was packing 185 mph winds and gusts of more than 200 mph as of 2 a.m. ET Wednesday, and is expected to continue churning with deadly hurricane-force winds and a dangerous storm surge across a wide swath of the Caribbean this week before moving toward southern Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The dangerous storm made landfall in Barbuda around 2 a.m. on Wednesday and is moving west-northwest at 15 mph. Hurricane watches and warnings have been issued across Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Turks and Caicos, Cuba and the Leeward Islands.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Jose has formed over the open Atlantic, following closely behind Irma, the NHC said Tuesday. Jose could become a Category 2 hurricane as it brushes the northeastern-most Caribbean islands at the end of the week. However, Jose poses no threat to the U.S. or Puerto Rico as of Tuesday.
The NHC warned that residents in the Leeward Islands, already expected to face Irma, "should monitor the track" of Jose
The NHC on Tuesday called Irma the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic basin outside of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico in NHC records.
By Sunday around 8 a.m., outer bands from Hurricane Irma are expected to reach the Florida Keys with winds of 145 mph as a Category 4 hurricane. Irma's center is forecast to move over Key West on Sunday afternoon
Mandatory evacuation orders have been ordered for Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys, beginning on Wednesday, but cars were already streaming out of the region on Tuesday evening. Officials also anticipate evacuation orders for low-lying portions of Miami-Dade County, including Miami Beach, by late Wednesday or early Thursday.
President Donald Trump approved Scott's declaration for a pre-landfall emergency for the entire state of Florida, the governor said in a press conference Tuesday evening.
Scott said Tuesday that it is important that Floridians keep a close eye on the storm and "do not sit and wait to prepare."
Scott has deployed 100 members of the Florida National Guard, and nearly 7,000 troops will be reporting for duty in the coming days, the governor said.
The American Red Cross is sending 1,000 volunteers to Florida, Scott said.
"In Florida, we always prepare for the worst and hope for the best," Scott said, "and while the exact path of Irma is not absolutely known at this time, we cannot afford to not be prepared."
The Monroe County School District is shuttering schools Wednesday, the county added. Schools in several other Florida counties, including Miami-Dade and Broward, will be closed Thursday and Friday, Scott said.
The University of Miami has canceled classes for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the school announced Tuesday.
Scott said at this time there are no reported issues with availability for fuel and supplies, but he urged residents to only "take what you need." There were long lines for gas in many areas of south Florida on Tuesday.
All 67 state offices will be closed Friday in preparation for the hurricane, Scott said, encouraging state employees to volunteer at local shelters.
The Florida Keys experienced massive flooding from Hurricane Wilma in 2005, which was a Category 3 storm. The last Category 5 storm to make landfall in the Florida Keys was the Labor Day hurricane of 1935.
“If ever there was a storm to take seriously in the Keys, this is it,” Monroe County Emergency Management Director Martin Senterfitt said in a statement released by the county. “The sooner people leave, the better.”
A spokesperson for the Naval Air Station at Key West said a separate evacuation order has been issued for the base’s 5,500 personnel and their families, effective Tuesday at 8 p.m.
The last time the base was evacuated was in September 2008 for Hurricane Ike.
Broward County, Florida Mayor Barbara Sharief said Tuesday that Broward County will feel tropical storm-level winds by Friday. The mayor said those who live in an evacuation zone should plan to evacuate, adding that extra shelters will be available. Schools in Broward County will be closed Thursday and Friday.
Category 5 is the strongest hurricane category on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane strength scale. In a Category 5 storm, winds reach more than 157 mph and damage is expected to be catastrophic, with buildings and roofs destroyed
The current NHC storm track puts Irma near the Leeward Islands, including Antigua and Barbuda, on Tuesday.
On the nearby island of Anguilla, which Irma is forecast to move over Wednesday morning, the Department of Disaster Management on Tuesday warned of flash floods and mudslides. Four shelters were scheduled to be opened as of Tuesday afternoon.
The Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are forecast to see deteriorating conditions throughout the day on Wednesday with the worst of the rain and wind arriving Wednesday night.
The storm is expected to pass north of Puerto Rico Wednesday night into early Thursday morning.
In Puerto Rico, a state of emergency has been declared, activating the National Guard as the U.S. territory prepares the storm, which the governor on Tuesday called unprecedented.
"This is the time to take action," the governor said Tuesday.
Wielding the most powerful winds ever recorded for a storm in the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Irma bore down Tuesday on the Leeward Islands of the northeast Caribbean on a forecast path that could take it toward Florida over the weekend.
Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday suspended all tolls in Florida, a sign that the state is preparing for the worst as Irma strengthened into a Category 5 storm with wind speeds now up to 185 mph.
The storm posed an immediate threat to the small islands of the northern Leewards, including Antigua and Barbuda, as well as the British and U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
"The Leeward Islands are going to get destroyed," warned Colorado State University meteorology professor Phil Klotzbach, a noted hurricane expert. "I just pray that this thing wobbles and misses them. This is a serious storm."
A hurricane warning remains in effect for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, parts of the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean locations as Florida officials rapidly accelerated their preparations.
here are some of the events cancelled because of the hurricane Irma :
DISNEY, ROYAL CARIBBEAN, NORWEGIAN CANCEL CRUISES BECAUSE OF HURRICANE IRMA
Disney Cruise Line has announced it is ending two cruises early and canceling three others because of Hurricane Irma.
• The Sept. 2 Disney Fantasy cruise will return to Port Canaveral on Thursday, two days early.
• The Sept. 4 sailing of the Disney Dream will also return to Port Canaveral on Thursday, one day earlier than scheduled.
• The Sept. 9 sailing of Disney Fantasy has been canceled.
• The Sept. 8 and Sept. 11 sailings of the Disney Dream have been canceled.
More information about Disney refunds and rescheduling is available here.
Royal Caribbean has canceled two cruises:
• Sept. 8 sailing of the Enchantment of the Seas Bahamas cruise
• Sept. 8 sailing of the Majesty of the Seas Bahamas cruise
Decisions on other scheduled cruises will be made by noon Thursday. Find more details here.
Norwegian Cruise Line has changed several cruises:
• Norwegian Escape, Seven-Day Western Caribbean cruise that departed Sept. 2 will return to Miami on Thursday, two days early.
• Norwegian Sky, Four-Day Cuba Cruise that departed Sept. 4 from Miami will return to Miami after departing Havana on Thursday.
• Norwegian Sky, Sept. 8 from Miami has been canceled.
• Norwegian Escape, Sept. 9 from Miami has been canceled