Hurricane Irma pounded Cuba's northern coast and barreled toward Florida's Gulf Coast as authorities scrambled to complete an unprecedented evacuation of millions of residents hours before the storm lashes the state.
Irma, one of the fiercest Atlantic storms in a century, was expected to rip through the Florida Keys archipelago on Sunday morning. It will make landfall on the Florida peninsula somewhere west of Miami on a track that would take it up the state's west coast, including Tampa, forecasters said.
Irma, which has killed at least 22 people in the Caribbean, was likely to inflict billions of dollars in damage in one of the most populous and fastest-growing states.
It could bring winds in excess of 100 miles per hour and a storm surge up to 15 feet (4.6 metres) high along the state's west coast, which is expected to trigger flooding.
The hurricane could rival any storm in Florida's history, with the storm surge generating flooding along the entire west coast, Governor Rick Scott said.
"Think about that, 15 feet is devastating and will cover your house," he said at a Saturday morning news conference.
Irma, located 195 miles (314 km/h) south of Miami on Saturday afternoon,...
