Hurricane Irma hits Florida

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· Around 6.3 million people in Florida ordered to evacuate
· Estimated 9 million people in Florida may lose power
· NHC downgrades storm to Category 1
· At least 22 people confirmed dead in Caribbean

- Updated at 2:25 p.m. BJT, Sept. 11

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) downgraded Hurricane Irma to Category 1 on Monday morning as it moves over the western Florida peninsula with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.

However, the storm surge warning remains in effect, as life-threatening surges may move inland from the coastline, NHC warned.

- Updated at 12:10 p.m. BJT, Sept. 11

Latest reports from the US National Hurricane Center say the storm is nearing the Tampa area of Florida.

Hurricane Irma was downgraded to Category 2 after making landfall in southwest Florida.

Cranes at three south Florida construction sites collapsed in strong winds but no injuries were reported.

- Updated at 8:50 p.m. BJT, Sept. 10

Over 420,000 customers have lost power across South Florida as category 4 Hurricane Irma slashes the Keys with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph.

Hurricane Irma is slashing the Florida Keys. /AFP via NOAA Satellites

- Updated at 7:07 p.m. BJT, Sept. 10

The northern eyewall of Hurricane Irma reached the lower Florida Keys on Sunday morning, according to US National Hurricane Center.

The eye of the hurricane was 15 miles (25 kilometers) southeast of Key West, the center said.

- Updated at 5:40 p.m. BJT, Sept. 10

The eye of Irma has been forecast to move over the Lower Florida Keys in the next few hours and then move near or over the southwestern coast of the Florida Peninsula later Sunday through the night, US National Hurricane Center said.

Governor of Florida Rick Scott also warned on twitter that a life-threatening storm surge is occurring in the Keys and is expected to begin on Sunday morning in southwest Florida.

Winds and rain from Hurricane Irma arrive in Islamorada, Florida on September 9, 2017. /AFP Photo

- Updated at 2:25 p.m. BJT, Sept. 10

Hurricane Irma strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it closed in on the Florida Keys, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

Currently packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, the deadly storm is expected to hit the US mainland within hours.

- Updated at 9:11 a.m. BJT, Sept. 10

Mass evacuations have been imposed as Hurricane Irma turned its fury toward the Florida Keys on Saturday after a destructive march along Cuba's northern coast.

Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century, was 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.

Residents carry their belongings into a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma in Estero, Florida, US, September 9, 2017. /Reuters Photo

A shopper walks past empty shelves, which would normally be stocked with water, at a supermarket ahead of Hurricane Irma making landfall in Kissimmee, Florida, September 9, 2017. /Reuters Photo

People take shelter at Key West High School in Key West, Florida, US, as Hurricane Irma approaches, September 9, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Tracking models showed it then making landfall on the western side of the Florida peninsula and heading up the coast.

An estimated 6.3 million people, more than 25% of the US state's population, have been ordered to evacuate, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Some 54,000 people have already taken refuge in the 320 shelters across the state, and the number of evacuees continues to grow, Florida Governor Rick Scott has said earlier.

Irma was already whipping south Florida with winds on Saturday, and the governor said 76,000 people were without power. A total of some 9 million people in Florida may lose power, some for weeks, the Florida Power & Light Co said.

Irma, which has killed at least 22 people in the Caribbean, was considered a life-threatening danger to Florida as well and will likely inflict billions of dollars in damage in the third-most-populous US state.

President Donald Trump has tweeted links for Florida residents looking for information.

"This is a storm of enormous destructive power, and I ask everyone in the storm’s path to heed ALL instructions from government officials," he tweeted.

Hurricane Irma's path

Irma, located about 185 kilometers southeast of Key West on Saturday afternoon, was a Category 5 storm, the highest ranking possible when it crashed into Cuba during the morning.

It gradually weakened to a Category 3 storm as it bumped along the island country's northern coastline, flooding streets and sending waves crashing over sea walls.

Waves crash on the street as Hurricane Irma turns toward the Florida Keys on Saturday, in Havana, Cuba, September 9, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Irma will dump up to 20 inches (25 cm to 51 cm) of rain over Florida and southeast Georgia through Monday, the National Weather Service said, a fraction of what Hurricane Harvey dropped on Texas and Louisiana two weeks ago, killing 60 people and causing an estimated $180 billion in property damage.

But unlike with Harvey, dangerous winds will barely abate once Irma makes landfall on Sunday morning.

Irma could cause insurance losses of between 15 billion and 50 billion US dollars in the United States, catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide said.

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