Hurricane Irma continued to grow stronger as she moved through the tropical Atlantic Tuesday with maximum winds now at 180 miles per hour.
"Irma is a potentially catastrophic category 5 hurricane and will bring life-threatening wind, storm surge, and rainfall hazards to portions of the northeastern Leeward Islands beginning later today and the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico beginning tomorrow," read the National Hurricane Center's discussion on Irma at 10 a.m. central. "Preparations should be rushed to completion before the arrival of tropical-storm force winds later today in the Leeward Islands and tomorrow morning in Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico."
The end of the NHC track hints at the turn to the north that forecast models are predicted, putting parts of Florida at risk.
Forecasters are also expecting a tropical depression to form in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, but say the system should meander in that area over the coming days.