September 11, 2017 - Hurricane Irma dropped to a Category 1 storm early Monday after it tore through southwest Florida and left more than 4 million customers without power.
Irma was downgraded as it moved over the western Florida peninsula, the National Hurricane Center said. By 5 a.m. ET, it had sustained winds of 75 mph with its center 60 miles north of Tampa. Despite its weakening as it passes over land, Irma remains a monster pushing strong winds and flooding in the Southeast, forecasters warned.
The hurricane hit southwest Florida on Sunday, downing power lines, uprooting trees and turning streets into rivers. It battered Florida's lower half, leaving a trail of tornadoes and storm-surge flooding as its core slowly moved inland.
The massive storm triggered evacuation orders for 5.6 million people before it made two landfalls in the state Sunday.
The first one was over the Florida Keys, which Irma hit as a Category 4 hurricane. The second one, in Marco Island, was a Category 3 that left the island without water and power, authorities said.
Other developments:
- Strong winds and flash flooding are still a threat as Irma spins into north Florida and toward Georgia over the next 24 hours.
- Irma's center will move near the northwestern coast of the Florida peninsula Monday morning and into southern Georgia in the afternoon, and through southwestern Georgia and eastern Alabama tonight and Tuesday, the center said.
- Affected states include Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina.
- Georgia was already feeling the effects of the storm, with more than 17,000 customers without power in Savannah.
- Strong winds blowing from the northeast pushed water out of shallow parts of bays and harbors in cities like Tampa and Port Charlotte.
- Miami streets turned into raging rivers as floodwaters surged, and the city's airport is closed because of significant water damage.
In Florida and southern Georgia, more than 8 million people face hurricane-force winds topping 74 mph, said Ryan Maue of WeatherBell Analytics.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued a mandatory evacuation for some barrier islands.
The National Weather Service in Atlanta issued a tropical storm watch for the area Monday and Tuesday. Schools in the state planned to close Monday.
In Alabama, some city school districts including Birmingham, Huntsville and Auburn planned to close Monday and in some cases Tuesday.
Before it weakened and headed to the United States, Irma hit Cuba's Ciego de Avila province late Friday as a Category 5 hurricane.
Source: CNN
