Irma was poised to emerge from northern Cuba on Saturday afternoon and head through the warm waters of the Florida Straits. Irma's center approached the northern coastal resort town of Caibarién early Saturday with winds of 130 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. On the opposite coast, this would spare the Miami area Irma’s most ferocious winds and life-threatening storm surge. Tampa and St. Petersburg on Tampa Bay are prone to flooding and would likely suffer major damage with any kind of storm surge or significant rainfall. “Hurricane Irma is now impacting our state.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 09, 2017 14:49 UTC