Hurricane had sustained winds of up to 220km\/h (140mph) and was likely to strengthen in the next 48 hours
\nONLINE
\nHOUSTON
\nHurricane Irma has been upgraded to a powerful category four storm as warnings have been issued for several Caribbean islands.
\nThe hurricane had sustained winds of up to 220km\/h (140mph) and was likely to strengthen in the next 48 hours, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
\nIrma was projected to hit the Leeward Islands, causing storm surges, life-threatening winds and torrential rain.
\nThe US state of Florida has declared a state of emergency.
\nIt comes as residents in Texas and Louisiana are reeling from the effects of Hurricane Harvey, which struck as a category four storm, causing heavy rain and destroying thousands of homes.
\nHowever the NHC warned that it was too early to forecast Irma\u2019s exact path or effects on the continental US.
\nIrma was set to reach the Leeward Islands, east of Puerto Rico, by late Tuesday or early Wednesday (local time), the centre added. The storm was moving at a speed of 20km\/h (13mph)
\nIt may cause rainfall of up to 25cm (10in) in some northern areas and raise water levels by up to 3m (9ft) above normal levels, the NHC said.
\nPuerto Rico also declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard. Governor Ricardo Rossello announced the opening of emergency shelters able to house up to 62,000 people, and schools would be closed on Tuesday.
\nLong queues of people formed in shops, with residents stocking water, food, batteries, generators and other supplies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hurricane had sustained winds of up to 220km\/h (140mph) and was likely to strengthen in the next 48 hours ONLINE HOUSTON Hurricane Irma has been upgraded to a powerful category four storm as warnings have been issued for several Caribbean islands. The hurricane had sustained winds of up to 220km\/h (140mph) and was likely to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-20331","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n