The center of the storm made landfall at Cudjoe Key , just east of Key West, at 9 :10 a . m . The storm was crawling to the north- northwest at just 8 mph .
• The Category 4 storm , which regained strength as it traversed the warm water of the Straits of Florida , is expected to travel up the state ’ s southwestern coast later today and move inland by Monday afternoon .
• More than 700, 000 people are without power in the state of Florida . Power outages could exceed 2 million across the Southeast as Hurricane Irma moves north .
• The storm ’ s winds are near 130 mph , and Irma’ s size means hurricane - force winds will extend up to 80 miles from its center , the NHC says .
• The Keys may see between 15 and 20 inches of rain , and South Florida may get between 10 and 15 inches of rain , according to the NHC. A few tornadoes are possible across the peninsula through Sunday night .
• Beyond the Keys , Florida ’ s Gulf Coast from the Everglades to Tampa are at the highest risk . We don ’ t know exactly if and where the eye of the storm will come ashore , but impacts will be severe in this region no matter what .
• “ Storm surge flooding of 10 - 15 ft is now expected along the SW Florida coast, ” the National Hurricane Center
tweeted on Saturday . “ This is a dire and life - threatening situation. ”
[Livestream : What Hurricane Irma looks like right now ]
• Because of the westward shift in the track, the Miami - Fort Lauderdale area is most likely to miss the most destructive part of the storm . But because of Irma’ s enormous size , the entire state will probably endure damaging winds .
• The storm has already
ravaged parts of the Caribbean , where one official called it a “ nuclear hurricane. ” About 95 percent of the islands of Barbuda and St . Martin sustained some damage or were outright destroyed.
• More than 5 million people across Florida have been ordered to evacuate and thousands crammed into shelters .
• On Saturday , Miami was a ghost metropolis. There was no traffic on typically - jammed roads and highways . Almost all stores appeared to be closed.
• Highways were clogged with evacuees Friday. Authorities are opening shoulder lanes to traffic in some locations. In Georgia , Interstate 75 southbound was reversed to accommodate the load . Florida airports announced closures, including Orlando , Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, as Irma approaches the state .