Irma to Make Landfall in US by Sunday

Even as Hurricane Irma was downgraded to a Category 4 storm Friday, people in the Caribbean and the United States are preparing for the impact of major storm surge and 150 mile-per-hour winds.

On Thursday, Hurricane Irma hit the Turks and Caicos Islands, where storm surges of up to 20 feet and isolated areas of up to 20 inches of rain were reported. A government representative told ABC News the islands sustained "catastrophic" damage.

The storm then continued to move toward the U.S., with the eye of the hurricane expected to pass between the Bahamas and the northern coast of Cuba during the next two days.

By around 4 a.m. Sunday, the National Hurricane Center expects Irma to make landfall in Southern Florida.

Experts believe the worst wind and storm surge from the Category 4 storm will hit the Florida Keys and Florida cities like Miami and Orlando on Sunday into Monday morning. The National Hurricane Center issued its first hurricane warnings for Florida and mandatory evacuations have reached an estimated 1.2 million people in the state.

The latest projections show Georgia and the Carolinas right in the path of the storm. Heavy rain and high winds are expected along the east coast through Tuesday before Irma likely turns into the Atlantic Ocean and dissipates.

For travelers trying to fly out of Florida before the storm hits, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport will close to air traffic Friday night and remain closed through the weekend. Miami International Airport announced that it will suspend operations when winds reach a sustained speed of 35 miles per hour.

The largest carrier in Miami, American Airlines, will halt flights from the airport at around 4 p.m. local time. They will be grounded throughout the weekend. American will follow a similar schedule in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Fort Myers, and will halt operations at Orlando International Airport at 2 p.m. Saturday.

[READMORE]READ MORE: This Delta Flight Got in and Out Right Before Irma[/READMORE]

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