A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Dominica and the Dominican Republic, from south of Cabo Engano westward to the southern border of Haiti, the National Hurricane Center said. Irma may experience moderate wind shear by Sunday (around 15 knots), but it is safest to assume that Irma will maintain at least Category 4 intensity on its final approach to Florida, as reflected in NHC’s 11 am Thursday forecast. The latest forecasts suggest Irma’s most destructive winds could carve up much of Florida’s priciest real estate, damaging properties from the Florida Keys through to Jacksonville as it swirls north. A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Haiti — from the northern border with the Dominican Republic to Le Mole St. Nicholas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Southeastern Bahamas, and Cuba from Matanzas province eastward to Guantanamo province, according to the National Hurricane Center. With 1,350 miles of coastline, the most in the continental United States, Florida has roughly 2.5 million homes in hazard zones, more than three times that of any other state, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency data.
Hurricane Irma makes first landfall on Barbuda, Saint Martin, and Anguilla in the northeastern Leeward Islands. Irma has maintained 185 miles per hour (298 km/h) winds for 24 hours, setting another record for Atlantic and eastern Pacific storms.