Miami, Florida are told to evacuate their homes within 24 hours as the deadly storm hits Cuba

Hurricane Irma is rattling through Cuba after making landfall late on Friday night as a Category 5 hurricane It will move towards Florida and make landfall on the southwest coast on Sunday afternoon as a Category Miami was in its sights but the storm has shifted its path and it is no longer likely to directly hit the east coast All of south Florida will be encompassed with winds and storm surges as Irma moves through it 5.6million people in the state have been told to flee their homes or risk dying as the storm makes landfall 50,000 people are in shelters across Florida and countless more have fled to friends and family's homes At least 24 people have already died as a result of the storm in the Caribbean which it ravaged this week Airports in southern Florida have now closed and anyone choosing to ride out the storm is in grave danger

Miami, which was on track for a direct hit from Hurricane Irma, was thrown a lifeline on Saturday as the storm's path veered west. 

Irma was downgraded from a Category 4 to a Category 3 storm on Saturday mid-morning as it hovered over Cuba but officials warned that it could regain strength over the course of the weekend. 

Irma is expected to move up the southwest coast on Sunday, bringing with it 130mph winds and life threatening rain after battering Cuba on Saturday.

It will remain off the coast of Florida until Monday when meteorologists predict it will then hit Tampa as a Category 3 storm.  After the new forecast emerged on Saturday, the mayor of Tampa said ominously: 'It's not looking good for us.' 

Miami is still under an evacuation order and officials are warning residents not to return to their homes in light of the news that Irma is moving west because it is still at risk of severe storm surge.   

Irma is so powerful that no matter where it hits and even before it does, the entire southern section of the state is at risk of storm surge, deadly wind and rain.

More than 5million people have been evacuated in anticipation of it and 50,000 people are in shelters across the state.  

source : Dailymail