Here Are The Latest Updates On Hurricane Irma's Path Of Destruction

Lydia O'Connor, Hayley Miller, Hilary Hanson, Carla Herreria and Lee Moran
Updated

MIRAMAR, Fla. ― Florida braced for impact early Sunday as Hurricane Irma’s eyewall slammed into the Lower Keys with life-threatening winds and rain.

Irma had weakened slightly on Saturday as it moved past northern Cuba, but regained strength overnight as it headed northwest toward the Tampa area, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power. The storm was upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane at 2 a.m. ET on Sunday.

Irma has killed at least 22 people and displaced thousands so far. The storm’s unexpected turn caught residents of Tampa and surrounding areas off guard, The Associated Press reported, noting that Tampa hasn’t weathered a major hurricane since 1921. Irma was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane on Saturday after pummeling much of the Antilles islands as a Category 5 over the last week. The National Hurricane Center expected the storm’s maximum winds to increase again once it moves away from Cuba and towards Florida.

Gov. Rick Scott (R) stressed that people in evacuation zones absolutely had to leave. Roughly 6.3 million people have been told to evacuate, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

“This will cover your house,” Scott said, referring to the 12-foot storm surge expected in some areas. “You will not survive all this storm surge. This is a life-threatening situation.”

***Scroll down for the latest updates***

Irma is forecast to make landfall in the Florida Keys on Sunday morning before approaching Naples on the state’s southwest coast, fluctuating in intensity while remaining extremely dangerous. Up to 25 inches of rain may fall in some parts of the Keys. The National Weather Service strongly urged anyone remaining in the Keys to evacuate immediately, warning in a tweet that Irma is “as real as it gets.”

Although the center of the hurricane is now expected to miss Miami, meteorologists say they believe the city will still see life-threatening winds.

Wind gusts in Miramar, which is about 25 miles northwest of Miami, had reached about 35 mph to 40 mph by midday, according to weather reports. There were periods of scattered thunderstorms throughout the day, with rains picking up and a tornado watch going into effect in the evening.

Tropical storm effects, including high winds, prompted a curfew in Broward County at 4 p.m. County officials are expecting a storm surge of between 2 feet and 4 feet, and 12 inches to 24 inches of rain over the next 24 hours.

Areas in southwestern Florida are also at risk of severe coastal flooding due to a predicted storm surge, which in some places could be more than 15 feet above ground, Scott said Saturday afternoon.

Irma set a new record Thursday with wind speeds of at least 185 mph for a period of 37 hours ― the longest any storm on record has maintained such high velocity. The storm’s maximum sustained winds have decreased to 125 mph, but are expected to strengthen to 160 mph over the Keys on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Katia made landfall on Mexico’s Gulf coast as a Category 1 storm late Friday night and was later downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved through Mexico. Hurricane Jose was also upgraded to a Category 4 storm, and but began to move away from a string of Caribbean islands through the evening. Still, St. Martin and St. Bart remained under tropical storm warnings as of Saturday evening thanks to Jose, CNN reports.

Travis Waldron, Sebastian Murdock and Paige Lavender contributed to this report.

Read more updates about Hurricane Irma:

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Two men look for belongings in the rubbles of their restaurant in Orient Bay on Saint-Martin.
Two men look for belongings in the rubbles of their restaurant in Orient Bay on Saint-Martin.
A door is seen blown in at a Regions Bank in Miami, Florida.
A door is seen blown in at a Regions Bank in Miami, Florida.
A store window is broken in Miami, Florida. 
A store window is broken in Miami, Florida. 
A Cuban wades through a flooded street in Havana, on September 10, 2017. Deadly Hurricane Irma battered central Cuba on Saturday, knocking down power lines, uprooting trees and ripping the roofs off homes as it headed towards Florida. Authorities said they had evacuated more than a million people as a precaution, including about 4,000 in the capital. / AFP PHOTO / YAMIL LAGE (Photo credit should read YAMIL LAGE/AFP/Getty Images)
A dolphin statue at Anglin's Fishing Pier lies toppled by Hurricane Irma.
A dolphin statue at Anglin's Fishing Pier lies toppled by Hurricane Irma.
A U.S. flag is tattered by winds produced by Hurricane Irma in Fort Lauderdale.
A U.S. flag is tattered by winds produced by Hurricane Irma in Fort Lauderdale.
A flooded street in Havana, Cuba. 
A flooded street in Havana, Cuba. 
Cubans wade through a flooded street in Havana.
Cubans wade through a flooded street in Havana.
A collapsed tree in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
A collapsed tree in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
High winds blow through Brickell Avenue.
High winds blow through Brickell Avenue.
Trees and branches in Miami are knocked down.
Trees and branches in Miami are knocked down.
Debris in the street in Miami.
Debris in the street in Miami.
A vehicle drives along Ocean Drive in South Beach.
A vehicle drives along Ocean Drive in South Beach.
Havana after Hurricane Irma.
Havana after Hurricane Irma.
A flooded street near the Malecon in Havana.
A flooded street near the Malecon in Havana.
Cubans wade through a flooded street in Havana.
Cubans wade through a flooded street in Havana.
A building in Caibarien, Cuba.
A building in Caibarien, Cuba.
Local residents return home in Villa Clara province, east of Havana.
Local residents return home in Villa Clara province, east of Havana.
Local residents at Villa Clara province, Cuba. 
Local residents at Villa Clara province, Cuba. 
Damage caused by Hurricane Irma in Cuba.
Damage caused by Hurricane Irma in Cuba.
Cubans wade through rubble in Havana.
Cubans wade through rubble in Havana.
A man looks on over the devastation of Hurricane Irma in Sint Maarten.
A man looks on over the devastation of Hurricane Irma in Sint Maarten.
A woman uses a can to take water out of her house in a flooded area after hurricane Irma in Fort Liberte, Haiti 
A woman uses a can to take water out of her house in a flooded area after hurricane Irma in Fort Liberte, Haiti 
Houses are seen on September 8, 2017 in Codrington, Antigua and Barbuda
Houses are seen on September 8, 2017 in Codrington, Antigua and Barbuda
Boys walk in a flooded area in Fort Liberte, Haiti
Boys walk in a flooded area in Fort Liberte, Haiti
Codrington, Antigua and Barbuda, devastated by Hurricane Irma
Codrington, Antigua and Barbuda, devastated by Hurricane Irma
A girl stands in a flooded area in Fort Liberte, Haiti 
A girl stands in a flooded area in Fort Liberte, Haiti 
A pup stands in flood waters in Fort Liberte, Haiti 
A pup stands in flood waters in Fort Liberte, Haiti 
Codrington, Antigua and Barbuda after Hurricane Irma
Codrington, Antigua and Barbuda after Hurricane Irma
A man uses a metal plate to remove water from his house in Fort Liberte, Haiti
A man uses a metal plate to remove water from his house in Fort Liberte, Haiti
Codrington, Antigua and Barbuda after Hurricane Irma
Codrington, Antigua and Barbuda after Hurricane Irma
People pass next to a flooded area in Fort Liberte, Haiti
People pass next to a flooded area in Fort Liberte, Haiti
A man wipes water in his house in Fort Liberte, Haiti 
A man wipes water in his house in Fort Liberte, Haiti 
Codrington, Antigua and Barbuda
Codrington, Antigua and Barbuda
Houses in Codrington, Antigua and Barbuda
Houses in Codrington, Antigua and Barbuda

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.