CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:
The Storm Surge Warning has been extended northward on the east coast of Florida to the Volusia/Brevard County Line and on the west coast of Florida to Anclote River, including Tampa Bay.
The Hurricane Warning has been extended northward on the east coast of Florida to the Volusia/Brevard County Line and on the west coast of Florida to Anclote River.
The Storm Surge Watch has been extended northward on the west coast of Florida to Suwanee River.
The Hurricane Watch has been extended northward on the east coast of Florida to Fernandina Beach and on the west coast of Florida to Indian Pass.
The government of Cuba has upgraded the Hurricane Watch for the province of Matanzas to a Hurricane Warning. A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for the provinces of La Habana and Ciudad de la Habana. The Hurricane Watch and Tropical Storm Warning for Guantanamo have been discontinued.
At 1100 PM EDT (0300 UTC), the center of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 22.1 North, longitude 77.7 West. Irma is moving toward the west near 13 mph (20 km/h). A turn toward the northwest is expected by late Saturday. On the forecast track, the center of Irma will move near the north coast of Cuba through Saturday, near the Florida Keys Sunday morning, and then near the southwest coast of Florida Sunday afternoon.
Data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 160 mph (260 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is once again a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it approaches Florida.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles (295 km).
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for... * Volusia/Brevard County Line southward around the Florida peninsula to Anclote River * Florida Keys * Tampa Bay
A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for... * North of the Volusia/Brevard County Line to the Flagler/Volusia County line * North of Anclote River to Suwannee River
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for... * Volusia/Brevard County Line southward around the Florida peninsula to Anclote River * Florida Keys * Lake Okeechobee * Florida Bay * Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Sancti Spiritus, Villa Clara, and Matanzas * Central Bahamas and Ragged Island * Northwestern Bahamas
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for... * North of the Volusia/Brevard County Line to Fernandina Beach * North and west of Anclote River to Indian Pass * Cuban provinces of Holguin and Las Tunas
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for... * Cuban provinces of Holguin, Las Tunas, La Habana, and Ciudad de la Habana