Powerful Category 5 Hurricane Irma takes aim at SWFL

FORT MYERS, Fla. Here is everything you need to know on Hurricane Irma as the storm develops:

10:38 p.m.

Irma’s maximum sustained winds remained at 185 mph in the 11 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

The Category 5 storm was centered about 50 miles east of Antigua, moving west at 15 mph.

8:27 p.m.

President Donald Trump has declared emergencies in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as Hurricane Irma prepares for landfall.

The declarations authorize the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts in those places.

The dangerous Category 5 storm is wielding the most powerful winds ever recorded for a storm in the Atlantic Ocean outside of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. It is on a path that could take it toward Southwest Florida over the weekend.

Irma’s size and strength put the entire state on notice Tuesday. Residents and visitors prepared to leave in anticipation of catastrophic winds and floods.

Puerto Rico’s governor is also warning that the effects of Hurricane Irma could be catastrophic and calling the storm more dangerous than Hurricane Harvey.

7:50 p.m. 

Irma’s maximum sustained winds remained at 185 mph in the 8 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

The Category 5 storm was centered about 85 miles east of Antigua, moving west at 15 mph.

The Meteorological Service of Cuba issued a hurricane watch for Cuba from the provinces of Matanzas to Guantanamo, the weather service said.

6:30 p.m. 

Gov. Scott and WINK News chief meteorologist Jim Farrell provided an update on Hurricane Irma:

5:45 p.m.

A state of emergency was declared for Hendry County, according to the Hendry County Board of County Commissioners.

5:33 p.m.

A state of emergency was declared for the city of Cape Coral, according to the city manager’s office.

For the latest safety updates in Cape Coral, click here. 

WINK News reporter Brooke Shafer spoke to fire officials in Cape Coral about hurricane preparedness: