Hurricane Irma: Florida braces for storm arrival
Hurricane Irma has strengthened to a category four storm as it nears Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 130mph (209km/h).
Wind gusts close to hurricane force are already battering islands in Florida's south, with the mainland due to be hit in the coming hours.
Water levels are already rising on the coast of the US state where a huge storm surge is expected.
At least 25 people died when Irma earlier hit several Caribbean islands.
In Florida, 6.3 million people - about 30% of the state's population - had been told to evacuate. But on Saturday, the state governor said it was now too late to leave for anyone remaining.
The National Hurricane Center has issued warnings against "life-threatening" storm surges in the Florida Keys - a chain of small islands in Florida's south - as well as Tampa Bay and other coastal areas.
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More than 200,000 homes in the state have been affected by power outages, with 164,000 outages in Miami Dade county alone, according to utilities company Florida Power & Light.
What is happening in Florida?
Irma is predicted to hit the coast on Sunday morning, but the outer bands are already affecting the south of the state and central Miami is being lashed by heavy rain.
The Florida Keys have suffered some minor damage and are expected to bear the brunt of the storm in the coming hours.
The head of emergencies agency Fema, Brock Long, told CNN there were "no safe areas within the Keys".
"You put your life in your own hands by not evacuating," he added.
"If you're in an evacuation zone, you've got to get to a shelter need to get to a shelter... there's not many hours left", Florida Governor Rick Scott warned residents.
"The winds are coming, there is not gonna be a lot of time now to be able to drive very far."
The western Gulf coast is expected to be worst affected, with cities such as Tampa and St Petersburg in the path of the storm.
The Tampa Bay area, with a population of about three million, has not been hit by a major hurricane since 1921.
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Some 50,000 people have gone to shelters throughout the state, the governor said. Media reports say shelters in some areas have been filling up quickly and some people have been turned away.
Miami city and Broward county have imposed curfews to help clear the roads of traffic.
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