Hurricane Irma's Eyewall Pummels Florida Keys As It Moves Toward The Mainland
Hurricane Irma took many by surprise by heading toward Florida's west coast. The Florida Keys began feeling hurricane-force winds and seeing storm surges of water Sunday morning.
After leaving a path of destruction through parts of the Caribbean, Hurricane Irma's eyewall reached American shores around 7:00 a.m. Sunday when it slammed into the lower Florida Keys.
"This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation!" The National Weather Service in Key West wrote, issuing an "extreme wind warning" shortly after 6 a.m.
The Category 4 hurricane was blowing sustained gusts of wind of 130 mph and moving northwestward at 8 mph, putting Florida's
