Hurricane Irma, which was downgraded to a Category 3 storm on Saturday, is set to gain its second wind before buffeting the outskirts of Florida’s coast early Sunday morning with “catastrophic and life-threatening” conditions, the National Weather Service reported.
As of 5pm Eastern, the destructive weather system was located about 115 miles south of Key West, where Florida officials have already issued mandatory evacuation orders that have sent millions of residents fleeing for safety.
Irma will likely make landfall as a Category 4 storm. The NWS stated that “major hurricane force winds” were expected to batter the area at daybreak, with winds speeds well over 100 miles per hour making their way up the state’s western coast.
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