2P: #Irma Starting to Make a Turn From Cuba, Florida-Bound

At 200 PM EDT (1800 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Irma was located by radar near latitude 23.1 North, longitude 80.2 West. Irma is moving just north of due west along the north coast of Cuba at near 9 mph (15 km/h).  A northwest motion is expected to begin later today with a turn toward the north-northwest on Sunday.  On the forecast track, the core of Irma will continue to move near or over the north coast of Cuba this afternoon, and will reach the Florida Keys Sunday morning.  The hurricane is expected to move along or near the southwest coast of Florida Sunday afternoon.

Maximum sustained winds are near 125 mph (205 km/h) with higher gusts.  Irma is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.  Irma is forecast to restrengthen once it moves away from Cuba, and Irma is expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it approaches Florida.  A NOAA plane is airborne en route to investigate Irma.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles (315 km).

The estimated minimum central pressure is 941 mb (27.79 inches).