Hurricane Irma fell to category 2 and is very close to the city of Naples, on the west coast of Florida (USA), where “dangerous swells” are expected after the cyclone passes through the area.
In its bulletin at 2100 GMT today, the US National Hurricane Center (CNH) warned of “dangerous cyclonic swells that will be generated immediately after the eye of Hurricane Irma passes along the west coast of Florida “.
Irma’s eye, located about 5 miles north of Naples (10 kilometers) and 30 miles (45 kilometers) south of Ft. Myers, has sustained maximum winds of 110 miles per hour (175 km / h).
Irma moves to the north with a speed of translation of 14 miles per hour (22 km / h).
According to a likely path pattern, Irma’s eye “should move near or over the west coast of the Florida peninsula until Monday night,” to travel Monday afternoon inland over northern Florida and the southwest of Georgia.
“Although it is expected to weaken, Irma is expected to remain a hurricane until at least Monday morning,” the Miami-based CNH said.
Irma’s eye landed this afternoon as a Category 3 hurricane and sustained maximum winds of 115 miles per hour (185 km / h) at Marco Island, a resort on the southwest coast of Florida.
The Marco Island Police Department reported that wind gusts of 130 miles per hour (209 km / h) had been recorded, while in Naples a meteorological station detected hurricane gusts that reached 114 miles per hour (156 km / h).
The system landed in the Florida Keys early this morning with winds at around 215 kilometers per hour, although the winds and waves were felt from many hours before.
Irma, who has left at least 29 deaths in the Caribbean, to which all three must be added in Florida, led to severe flooding in the Keys before moving north along the Florida peninsula, affecting mostly west coast populations.
