Science

Hurricane Irma Blasts Past Puerto Rico With 180-MPH Winds; Risk Rises For Florida

By Nancy Coddington

Published September 7, 2017 at 6:56 AM EDT

An aerial photograph released by the Dutch Department of Defense shows the damage of Hurricane Irma in Philipsburg, on the Dutch portion of the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten. Photo: Gerben Van Es/AFP/Getty Images

By Bill Chappell

Hurricane Irma is bringing death and destruction to the Caribbean and raising alarm in Florida, where the chance of a direct impact continues to rise. The storm is blamed for at least 10 deaths; thousands of people are being told to get out of its way.Irma brought strong winds and flooding to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands last night. Its dangerous eye passed north of Puerto Rico's main island — possibly sparing the area from the worst of the 185-mph winds that wreaked horrible destruction in Saint Martin, Anguilla, and Barbuda on Wednesday."We are in a state of siege," Daniel Gibbs resident of the French territorial council for Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, tells Radio Caraibes International."95 percent of the territory has been destroyed," Gibbs said, echoing the assessment of Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who told CNN Barbuda is now "barely habitable" after Irma's eye hit the island early Wednesday.Floodwaters have swamped cars and houses in Puerto Rico, where seven rivers are now running above their flood levels, the National Weather Service office in San Juan says.After moving past Puerto Rico, Irma is following the same track past Hispaniola, passing north of the island that's home to the Dominican Republic and Haiti. As of 8 a.m. ET, its eye was about 110 miles north of Punta Cana.

The 5-day path prediction for Hurricane Irma includes a northern turn close to the coast of Florida. National Hurricane Center

Irma is sending hurricane-force winds outward up to 50 miles from its center; tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 185 miles.The hurricane is now moving west-northwest at 17 mph. The storm is expected to move near or over the Turks and Caicos and parts of the Bahamas and later Thursday, likely hitting parts of Cuba on Friday.

Irma's path is now projected to pivot north as it nears Florida. The timing of that turn is crucial to millions of people, some of whom are already under mandatory evacuation orders. Those orders took effect in Key West on Wednesday; they now also cover barrier islands, including Miami Beach.

Irma has slightly weakened — its sustained winds are now 180 mph instead of 185 mph — but it's likely to remain a Category 5 storm for most of the next two days, the National Hurricane Center says. "Hurricane watches will likely be issued for portions of the Florida Keys and the Florida peninsula later this morning," the center says, stating that the threat of direct hurricane impacts in Florida continues to increase. Here's what NHC senior hurricane specialist Jack Beven told the AP Thursday: "Basically, the entire Florida peninsula is under threat from this, as is portions of the southeastern U.S. further to the north, because if the storm does miss Florida, it would hit more toward the southeastern U.S. coastal states." Tropical-storm-force winds will arrive in southern Florida and the Keys on Saturday, the hurricane center predicts. As Irma moves west, its storm surge poses a dangerous threat. The Turks and Caicos and parts of the southeastern and central Bahamas could see from 15 to 20 feet of coastal water above normal levels. Cuba's northern coast could get a surge of 5-10 feet. After maintaining 185-mph winds, a tight eye and a well-organized system for more than 24 hours, the powerful storm finally showed a hint of weakness overnight, with the hurricane center saying at 5 a.m. on Thursday that Irma had "become a little less organized" with clouds in its eye a central convection that was "somewhat ragged." Its central pressure, which had been as low as 914 mb, had risen to 921 mb.

A rescue team from the local emergency management agency inspects flooded areas late Wednesday in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, after the passing of Hurricane Irma. The category 5 storm is expected to make landfall in Florida by the weekend. Jose Jimenez/Getty Images