Irma weakens to Category 4 storm but continues to pound Caribbean on way to Florida

Hurricane Irma was downgraded to a Category 4 storm early Friday, but it continues to advance closer to Florida.

The powerful storm, with its 150 mph winds and crippling storm surges, pummeled Turks and Caicos and made its way toward Cuba’s northern shores, the National Hurricane Center said.

Irma is projected to make landfall in Florida on Sunday, making its way up straight up the peninsula.

“Obviously Hurricane Irma continues to be a threat that is going to devastate the United States,” Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Brock Long said at a press conference in Washington, D.C. “We’re going to have a couple rough days. ”The massive storm could usher in chaos to storm-prone areas in southern Florida such as the Keys and densely populated Miami.

“Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” warns an NHS advisory.