Hurricane Irma's winds have exploded to 175 mph, making it an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm as it closes in on the northern Leeward Islands which are under a hurricane warning as is Puerto Rico.
Irma is cruising to the west at 14 mph. A turn to the west-northwest is expected later today.
On its current forecast track, the center of Irma is expected to move near or over portions of the northern Leeward Islands Tuesday night and early Wednesday.
Interests in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the southeastern Bahamas should monitor the progress of Irma.
Long-range forecast models have Irma threatening South Florida by the weekend. Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency for all of Florida's 67 counties.