MIAMI — 2 p.m. update:
Hurricane Irma remains a Category 5 storm with winds at 185 mph. Irma is passing the northern Virgin Islands and is 90 miles east of Puerto Rico.
A sustained wind of 106 mph, and a gust of 131 mph was measured at Buck Island, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Irma is expected to fluctuate in intensity during the next 48 hours, but still remain as a powerful major hurricane.
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 50 miles and tropical storm force winds extend up to 185 miles from center.
11 a.m. update:
Hurricane Irma's track has shifted eastward. The Category 5 storm continues to have maximum sustained winds of 185 mph as it churns through the Caribbean islands.
Channel 9 certified meteorologist Brian Shields said it will be another five to six days before the storm is the closest it will be to Central Florida. Forecasts of the storm's track will be fine-tuned by Thursday, he said.
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[ Photos: Hurricane Irma damage in Sint Maarten ]
See flooding and damage on the Caribbean island of St. Martin below:
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"It is always best to be prepared, but fortunately, time is on our side," Shields said. "We will know much more over the next 24 hours and then let you know if you need to take further steps to keep you and your family safe."
Download the free WFTV weather app and watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News at Noon for live updates on the storm's progression. Read more hurricane stories in the Eye on the Tropics section.
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Previous story:
The most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history made its first landfall early Wednesday in the islands of the northeast Caribbean.
The National Weather Service said the eye of Hurricane Irma passed over Barbuda at about 1:47 a.m.
Residents said over local radio that phone lines went down as the eye passed.
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The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Irma was maintaining Category 5 strength with sustained winds near 185 mph and heading west-northwest on a path toward Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba before possibly heading for Florida over the weekend.
Channel 9 certified meteorologist Brian Shields said that the hurricane track has shifted eastward as expected and that it will be another five to six days before the storm is the closest it will be to Central Florida.
"I can't stress this enough: There is a reason the cone is so wide five days from now -- uncertainty is high," Shields said. "I want you prepared -- better safe than sorry. With that said, it's deep-breath time."
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Shields said it's still too early to tell how the storm will affect the region, but he said residents should continue to prepare for the storm.
"Have your hurricane kit and plan (ready)," he said. "We will know so much more over the next 24 hours."
French authorities have ordered inhabitants to remain confined to their homes and not go out under any circumstances in the French Caribbean islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy because of Hurricane Irma.
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Two other French Caribbean islands, Guadeloupe and Martinique, have been placed under a more moderate alert.
The Dutch Caribbean islands of Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba have also been affected by the dangerous storm.
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The declarations authorize the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts in those places.
Officials in the Florida Keys said they expect to announce a mandatory evacuation for visitors starting Wednesday and for residents starting Thursday.
The Category 5 hurricane is expected to reach Florida by the weekend. On Wednesday morning, it was about 40 miles north of Antigua.
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People in South Florida raided store shelves, buying up water and other hurricane supplies. Long lines formed at gas stations and people pulled shutters out of storage and put up plywood to protect their homes and businesses.
As Hurricane Irma continues to roar across the Caribbean on a path toward Florida, a new tropical storm has formed in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tropical Storm Katia formed early Wednesday off the coast of Mexico.
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The NHC said Katia's maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with some strengthening forecast over the next two days. But the hurricane center said Katia is expected to stay offshore through Friday morning.
The storm is centered about 105 miles east of Tampico, Mexico, and is moving east-southeast near 2 mph.
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Jose is the 15th named storm of a very busy Atlantic hurricane season. It has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.
It is expected to strengthen, but it will likely remain at sea, Shields said.
Download the free WFTV weather app and watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News for regular updates on the storm's progression. Read more hurricane stories in the Eye on the Tropics section.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.