Watch Hurricane Irma crawl up Florida through on-the-ground reports from storm-battered broadcasters


A weakening but still dangerously powerful Hurricane Irma, now a Category 2 storm, is nearing the Tampa-St. Petersburg area on Sunday night, with tropical storm-force winds extending out 415 miles, according to the National Hurricane Center. Irma made landfall at Cudjoe Key just after 9 a.m. on Sunday, then made landfall a second time at Marco Island at 3:30 p.m. before pummeling Naples just to the north. Winds as strong as 99 miles per hour swept through Miami-Dade County, flooding the streets of Miami and toppling two cranes plus another in Ft. Lauderdale. At least 3.3 million homes and businesses were without power in Florida on Sunday night, and "life-threatening" wind and storm surge warnings are in effect from the Keys to Tampa and much of western and central Florida.
From the Florida Keys to points north, broadcasters and the occasional storm chaser tried to capture the power of Irma, with varying degrees of success. Here's storm-chaser Lagend Juston measuring the winds on Key West at 8:50 a.m., right before landfall at nearby Cudjoe Key.
In Key Largo, CNN's Bill Weir describe's Irma's wind and rain as like a power-washer on his face:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In Naples, The Weather Channel's Mike Bettes couldn't finish his broadcast:
And here's a drone's-eye view of what Naples looked like after Irma's eye passed over it:
ABC News' Tom Llamas described what the hurricane was like in Fort Myers, due north of Naples.
Mike Tobin at Fox News explained the deteriorating conditions in Tampa on Sunday night, before the storm hits in force early Monday morning.
And if you're wondering how these hardy (or foolhardy) weather reporters manage to broadcast from the eye of a hurricane, NBC News' Kerry Sanders took a relatively calm moment in Naples to give everyone a peek behind the scenes. Peter Weber
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
May 31 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include how much to pay for a pardon, medical advice from a brain worm, and a simple solution to the national debt.
-
5 costly cartoons about the national debt
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on the USA's financial hole, rare bipartisan agreement, and Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.
-
Green goddess salad recipe
The Week Recommends Avocado can be the creamy star of the show in this fresh, sharp salad
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star program
speed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
US proposes eroding species protections
Speed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central US
Speed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslides
Speed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
-
Death toll rises in LA fires as wind lull allows progress
Speed Read At least 24 people have died and 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders
-
Biden cancels Italy trip as raging LA fires spread
Speed Read The majority of the fires remain 0% contained
-
Fast-spreading Los Angeles wildfires spark panic
Speed Read About 30,000 people were under an evacuation order as the inferno spread
-
Hundreds feared dead in French Mayotte cyclone
Speed Read Cyclone Chido slammed into Mayotte, a French territory in the Indian Ocean