MIAMI — The remnants of Hurricane Irma swept north through Florida on Monday, leaving behind a trail of debris, flooding and power outages after the storm roared up the state’s Gulf Coast and brought its drenching rainfall and battering winds into Georgia.

Irma weakened Monday to a tropical storm, losing some of its punch but still packing powerful winds that stretched from Central Florida to North Carolina. Flash flood emergencies were also declared in Jacksonville, Fla., and Charleston, S.C.

After the storm roared through Florida, thrashing winds tore down trees and power lines alike, officials said Monday that Irma appears to have cut power to a majority of the state’s 20.6 million residents.

“More than half of the population of Florida is out of power would be my guess,” Eric Silagy, president and chief executive of Florida Power and Light, the state’s largest utility, said at a news briefing Monday.

[Graphic: What Irma is leaving behind]

Silagy said as many as 9 million people are affected by his company’s outages — and while it supplies power to about half the state, it is not the state’s sole utility. Florida officials say two-thirds of all power company customers statewide lack power, totaling more than 6.5 million customer accounts. Since each account can represent more than one person, the number of people who lost power may be historic, Silagy said.

“We’ve never had that many outages. I don’t think any utility in the country has,” he said.

Silagy also cautioned that some people “could be out of power for weeks,” particularly if crews need to rebuild parts of the system. The utility had sent out 19,500 workers across Florida to restore power, Silagy said. The utility is also trying to secure more line and vegetation crews from out of state.

Because of the storm’s size, crews were not able to start restoration efforts until late last night, he said, and they are still not able to move across northern Florida. He also said debris is strewn throughout the state.

“This is a storm that has probably produced more debris than we’ve ever seen in the history of storms,” Silagy said. “We’ve had 10 years of growth that got pruned yesterday from Hurricane Irma, and unfortunately a lot of that ended up on our power lines.”

Even as millions waited to see when power companies could navigate debris-strewn roads and restore their access to electricity — and with it, things such as air conditioning and refrigeration — Irma surged ever onward, sweeping rain bands through Florida’s core and threatening a dangerous storm surge in the populous Tampa Bay area and along the Gulf Coast.

Torrential rain fell in the Florida panhandle, as well as Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas. The storm had spent the weekend hammering South Florida with rain and wind before it made landfall twice on Sunday — first in the Florida Keys, then on Marco Island along the state’s southwestern coast — as it lumbered northward. Irma’s fury tore apart homes, flooded the Keys, swelled rivers to dangerous levels and, even as it weakened to a Category 1 hurricane and then a tropical storm on Monday, it was far from through.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said the city was spared “a punch in the face” as Irma swung farther from the city. But he told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program that emergency teams were deployed to keep people off the streets “when that surge comes.”

In a sign of Irma’s sheer size, South Florida — spared a direct hit many had feared before the storm shifted to the west — was still catching its breath Monday as Irma pelted Tampa with tropical-storm winds and, hundreds of miles to the east, flooded Jacksonville. In Tallahassee, the capital tucked into the panhandle, forecasters warned that strong winds would continue into the afternoon.

Officials warned that flooding from Florida to South Carolina would pose a particular danger. Residents around Charleston, S.C., were urged to avoid the city’s downtown until the flooding there subsided. Flooding also plagued Jacksonville, where city officials said some streets could have up to four feet of water.

As the St. Johns River swelled following Irma’s rainfall, the National Weather Service announced a flash flood emergency until Monday evening and said water rescues were underway.

“The biggest threat for this week as Irma leaves Florida will be river flooding, and most of that’s going to be in the north part of the state,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) said at a briefing Monday afternoon.

One positive forecast for Florida: The rain threat had diminished for most of Florida by Monday, save the northernmost portions, with scattered showers expected during the day, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Irma is expected to keep losing force as it continues inland, and forecasters say it should be a tropical depression by Tuesday afternoon. But the storm maintained its remarkable reach, with tropical-storm-force winds reaching more than 400 miles.

As the storm headed to Georgia and parts north, that state also hunkered down, as Irma was forecast to deliver rain — up to 15 inches of it in some places — to go with tropical-storm-force winds.

In Atlanta, Delta Air Lines canceled about 800 flights from its hub operations Monday in anticipation of “strong crosswinds,” which could reverberate through the air travel system nationwide. Thousands of flights have already been halted due to the storm. Atlanta, hundreds of miles from any coast, and more than 600 miles north of the place where Irma first hit the mainland, was placed under its first tropical-storm warning.

What Irma’s wind and water did to Florida View Graphic

In Miami, Monday’s dawn brought some welcome light to after a blustery night. Power was out most everywhere. The storm had finally left after a stronger-than-expected blow that lasted all day Sunday and left the metropolis looking shredded.

The residents of the Royal Duke Trailer Court in the Allapattah neighborhood of Miami were just happy to see their homes still standing Monday. Many of them evacuated thinking their mobile homes would be no match for Irma, and they were surprised to see the storm weaken just enough to spare their homes. So the mood at the park on Monday was almost festive.

Neighbors were out, talking in Spanish, laughing and helping one another clean up the tree debris. Their power was still out Monday, so no one wanted to be inside. Children were riding their bikes and one family was making beans and baleadas — a Honduran bread — on their outdoor grill for everyone.

Kat Suarez’s family home took a large tree trunk to its roof. The roof of the two-bedroom house was damaged, but the tree didn’t puncture the home’s ceiling.

“We didn’t think this was going to make it,” said Suarez, whose family has lived in the home since before she was born. “It’s bad, but it wasn’t as bad as we thought. I didn’t think it was going to be here when we got back.”

Some had decided to stay in the area, riding out the storm together, making a party of it as they drank with their neighbors.

“I stayed here so I could tell everyone what happened,” said Victoria Barrella.

The storm had hit Cudjoe Key at 9:10 a.m. on Sunday. Key West — farther south, at the end of the chain — endured hours of unrelenting rain and high winds, which seemed to peak at about 7 a.m. Though the hurricane felled many trees on the small island and caused some property damage, predictions of potentially catastrophic storm surges and flooding did not materialize.

Officials estimated that about 25 percent of Key West’s residents stayed through the storm despite evacuation orders. Several people on the island said they felt like they got lucky because the storm wasn’t as bad as expected, but they were in the dark once Irma moved on: There was no power, water or cellphone service as of Sunday evening, meaning there was almost no way to communicate with the outside world.

[Tales from Irma’s path: Frayed nerves, shared panic, helping hands]

After it blasted the Keys, the storm moved into open water again, headed for Florida’s mainland, making landfall in Marco Island on the west coast before slowly heading north.

Across Florida, more than 116,000 people packed into more than 530 shelters as of Monday afternoon, including some 75 special needs shelters with about 12,700 people inside.

Irma had made history when it made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane — the second-most powerful category, with sustained winds of at least 130 mph. Hurricane Harvey also slammed into Texas as a Category 4 storm, which marked the first time on record that two storms that powerful had made landfall in the United States in a single year. Scientists say that climate change is now making such intense hurricanes more likely, since hurricanes draw strength from warmer ocean waters.

Waves crash over a sea wall from Biscayne Bay as Hurricane Irma passes by on Sunday in Miami. (Wilfredo Lee/AP)

U.S. officials can at least temporarily continue to block refugees with formal assurances from resettlement agencies from entering the United States after the Supreme Court intervened again Monday to save a piece of President Trump’s travel ban.

Responding to an emergency request from the Justice Department, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy stopped an earlier federal appeals court ruling that had allowed refugees with a formal assurance to enter the country.

Kennedy, who handles cases on an emergency basis from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, ordered those suing over the ban to respond by noon Tuesday, and he indicated that the appeals court ruling in their favor would be stayed “pending receipt” of their response.

The Supreme Court’s decision came not long after the Justice Department asked the justices to act. That filing, by Acting Solicitor General Jeffrey B. Wall, demonstrated the lengths to which the government is willing to go to impose its desired version of the ban, even before the high court takes up in earnest next month whether the measure is lawful at its core.

At issue is whether the president can block a group of about 24,000 refugees with assurances from entering the United States after the Supreme Court decided in June to permit a limited version of his travel ban to take effect. The nation’s top justices are scheduled to hear arguments next month on whether the ban is ultimately legal.

[Grandparents, refugees with formal assurances can enter under Trump’s travel ban, appeals court rules]

Since Trump signed his first travel ban shortly after taking office, the directive has been mired in a complicated legal battle.

The president ultimately revoked the first ban — which blocked refugees and citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States — and replaced it with a less onerous version that blocked refugees and citizens of six of the initial seven countries. The Supreme Court ultimately decided that Trump could impose that measure, but not on those with a “bona fide” connection to the United States, such as having family members here, a job or a place in an American university.

It is the interpretation of a “bona fide” connection to the United States that is being debated. The government initially sought to block grandparents and other extended family members of people in the United States from entering — as well as refugees with formal assurances — though a federal district judge stopped from doing so. The Supreme Court in July largely upheld that ruling, though it put on hold the portion dealing with refugees.

Last week, a federal appeals court panel weighed in, deciding that the administration could block neither grandparents nor refugees with assurances.

[Supreme Court allows Trump refugee ban but backs broader exemptions for relatives]

The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to step in again — though only to block refugees, not grandparents and other extended family members. Even those refugees with formal assurances from a resettlement agency lack the sort of connection that should exempt them from the ban, the Justice Department argued in its filing to the Supreme Court.

“The absence of a formal connection between a resettlement agency and a refugee subject to an assurance stands in stark contrast to the sort of relationships this Court identified as sufficient in its June 26 stay ruling,” Wall wrote in his filing. “Unlike students who have been admitted to study at an American university, workers who have accepted jobs at an American company, and lecturers who come to speak to an American audience, refugees do not have any free-standing connection to resettlement agencies, separate and apart from the refugee-admissions process itself, by virtue of the agencies’ assurance agreement with the government.”

Neal Katyal, a lawyer representing the state of Hawaii, which is challenging the travel ban, wrote on Twitter that he would “fight” the government’s latest request.

The government said the battle is urgent. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit had said its ruling allowing refugees with resettlement agreements would take effect Tuesday, which Wall asserted could be disruptive.

“The government began implementing the Order subject to the limitations articulated by this Court more than two months ago, on June 29, which entailed extensive, worldwide coordination among multiple agencies and the issuance of guidance to provide clarity and minimize confusion,” Wall wrote.

Time is beginning to become of a factor in the broader fight over Trump’s travel ban, with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear arguments Oct. 10.

The measure was supposed to have been temporary — lasting 90 days for citizens of the six affected countries, and 120 days for refugees. If the measure is considered to have taken effect from when the Supreme Court allowed a partial version of it, the 90 days will have passed by the time the justices hear arguments, and the 120 days are very likely to have passed by the time they issue a decision.

Some deadlines for reports have also seemingly passed. The Department of Homeland Security Secretary was — within 20 days of the order taking effect — supposed to have given Trump the results of a worldwide review determining what information was necessary from other countries’ to vet travelers.

The countries that weren’t supplying adequate information were then to be given 50 days to begin doing so, and after that, top U.S. officials were to give Trump a list of countries recommended for inclusion on a more permanent travel ban. A State Department spokeswoman said Monday that the department was “engaging with foreign governments to meet these new standards for information sharing” but could not “prejudge the outcome of this engagement.”

“We recognize that many governments will need time to meet any new standards, and we will work to assess and, where necessary, work with foreign governments to design a plan to provide the information requested,” the spokeswoman said.

Spokesmen for the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security did not immediately provide answers to a list of questions about what action had been taken on those steps.

Robert Barnes contributed to this report.

Stephen K. Bannon — President Trump’s former chief strategist who left the White House in August — declared war Sunday against the Republican congressional leadership, called on Gary Cohn, Trump’s top economic adviser, to resign, and outlined his views on issues ranging from immigration to trade.

Bannon, in an interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” accused Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) of “trying to nullify the 2016 election.” It was Bannon’s first television interview since leaving the White House and returning as executive chairman to Breitbart News, the conservative website he previously led.

He blamed them for failing to repeal and replace former president Barack Obama’s signature health-care law and made clear that he would use his Breitbart perch to hold Republicans accountable for not helping Trump push through his agenda.

“They’re not going to help you unless they’re put on notice,” he told CBS’s Charlie Rose. “They’re going to be held accountable if they do not support the president of the United States. Right now there’s no accountability.”

Stressing absolute loyalty to Trump, Bannon criticized members of the administration who, he said, had leaked to the news media their displeasure with the way Trump handled the white-supremacist-fueled violence in Charlottesville, which left one dead and more­ ­injured.

“You can tell him, ‘Hey, maybe you can do it a better way.’ But if you’re going to break, then resign. If you’re going to break with him, resign,” he said. “If you find it unacceptable, you should resign.”

He explicitly mentioned Cohn, Trump’s director of the National Economic Council who had criticized Trump’s response in an interview with the Financial Times, and said he “absolutely” thought Cohn should have resigned.

Bannon joined the Trump campaign in August 2016 and emerged as the president’s ideological id, channeling his populist and nationalist impulses. Though he made many enemies in the West Wing, including the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, and clashed with John F. Kelly, Trump’s second chief of staff, Bannon remains close to Trump.

Recalling a particularly low moment in the campaign — the emergence of the “Access Hollywood” tape that captured Trump bragging about groping women — Bannon dismissed it as “just locker room talk,” but he said the moment served as an important “litmus test” for loyalty to Trump.

At the time, Reince Priebus, Trump’s first chief of staff, urged the then-candidate to either drop out of the race or face a historic loss. And, Bannon said, Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.), who served as a campaign adviser overseeing Trump’s transition plan, lost a likely spot in the president’s Cabinet because of his response to the ­video.

“I told him: ‘The plane leaves at 11 o’clock in the morning. If you’re on the plane, you’re on the team,’ ” Bannon said, referring to Christie. “Didn’t make the plane.”

On China, Bannon reiterated his calls for the United States to take a tougher stance over trade and appropriating U.S. technology. “Donald Trump, for 30 years, has singled out China as the biggest single problem we have on the world stage,” he said. ‘The elites in this country have got us in a situation. We’re at not economic war with China; China is at economic war with us.”

And he also seemed to criticize the president’s recent decision to rescind protections for “dreamers” — those 690,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the country as young children — while giving Congress six months to devise a legislative solution. The move, he said, could cost Republicans the House in the 2018 election.

“If this goes all the way down to its logical conclusion, in February and March, it will be a civil war inside the Republican Party that will be every bit as vitriolic as 2013,” Bannon said. “And to me, doing that in the springboard of primary season for 2018 is extremely ­unwise.”

(This post will be updated throughout Sunday, every hour or so. It was last updated at 9:25 p.m. to reflect current conditions in Florida.)

Extremely dangerous Hurricane Irma first crashed into the Florida Keys on Sunday morning and then made a second landfall on Marco Island on Florida’s west coast Sunday afternoon, unleashing violent wind gusts up to 142 mph and storm-surge flooding. As the powerful storm scoots up Florida’s west coast into this evening, forecasters fear that this storm will go down as one of the worst in the state’s history.

At 9 p.m., the storm was centered 35 miles east-northeast of Fort Myers. Its eyewall – containing the storm’s most violent winds – had pushed northwest of Port Charlotte. The storm center was headed north at 14 mph toward the west side of Sarasota and Tampa, where wind gusts of 75 to 100 mph were possible through around midnight, south to north.

Ocean levels were rising quickly in Southwest Florida as the storm center lifted north. In Naples, the storm surge raised water levels 8 feet in two hours, between about 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. before stabilizing by around 8 p.m. But waters were just starting to rise or had yet to begin their rapid rise from Ft. Myers northward.

Irma’s peak winds of 105 mph, with higher gusts, had dropped 20 mph from the morning, making it a Category 2 hurricane (down from a Category 4). Even with slow weakening likely to continue as the storm passes over land, Irma remains very serious and life-threatening. The National Hurricane Center said it is expected to remain a hurricane through Monday morning.

Coastal waters could well above normally dry land along Florida’s central Gulf Coast, inundating homes, businesses and roads, an “imminent danger,” according to the Hurricane Center.

[Everything you need to know about Irma]

Because of the storm’s magnitude, the entire state of Florida is being severely affected by damaging winds, torrential rains and, in many areas, the risk of tornadoes. Tropical storm and hurricane conditions were also predicted to spread into the Florida Panhandle, eastern Alabama, much of Georgia and southern South Carolina by Monday.

The latest

(National Hurricane Center)

As the eyewall moved over Naples late Sunday afternoon, it reported sustained winds of 93 mph and a gust to 142 mph – the strongest recorded from this storm in the U.S.

Josh Morgerman, a hurricane chaser positioned in Naples, described the scene: “Went thru violent, destructive winds. Screaming, whiteout, wreckage blowing by in fog.” Then the calm eye moved overhead.

Aerial video from inside eye of Hurricane Irma. Just minutes earlier 100mph wind gusts were damaging these homes SE of Naples @KATVToddYak pic.twitter.com/BMi7k8k2Wh

— Brian Emfinger (@brianemfinger) September 10, 2017

Before the arrival of the storm center, water was actually retreating from Naples to Tampa due to offshore winds from the east pulling the sea back. But forecasters warned residents that shortly after the storm’s center passed to the north and winds blew back onshore, waters would rush back in rapidly causing severe inundation.

[Hurricane Irma is literally sucking the water away from shorelines]

In Naples, as of 7 p.m., water levels were about four feet above normally dry land but the level was starting to stabilize around 8 p.m. In Ft. Myers, waters levels were rising at 9 p.m., but not as dramatically as they had in Naples.

Southeast Florida

In Southeast Florida, spiral bands continued to unleash tropical-storm-force winds. Even into the evening, winds were gusting up to 60 to 75 mph around Miami and West Palm Beach (7 p.m. gust of 75 mph), but they weren’t as strong as earlier.

In the afternoon, sustained winds in Miami and Fort Lauderdale reached 50-60 mph through the early afternoon, gusting as high as 80 to 100 mph. Miami International Airport clocked a gust to 94 mph and an isolated gust hit 100 mph at the University of Miami.

Also during the afternoon the seas had risen several feet above normally dry land. Social media photos and videos showed water pouring through Miami’s streets, in between high-rises, amid sideways sheets of rains.

This is Miami right now. #HurricaneIrma pic.twitter.com/bhVqJ1bmCP

— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) September 10, 2017

Late Sunday afternoon, waters were finally starting to slowly recede around Miami.

The Keys

While the core of the storm and worst winds passed the Keys early Sunday morning, the Weather Service warned storm surge flooding was ongoing as winds on the storm’s backside shoved water over the islands. Gusts still reached 50 to 60 mph as of 7:45 p.m.

Early Sunday afternoon, the maximum surge at Cudjoe Key was estimated at 10 feet.

Statewide

About 3 million customers were without power.

Particularly in South and Central Florida, torrential rain was falling, with widespread totals of 6 to 10 inches and pockets up to 10 to 14 inches. Numerous flash flood warnings had been issued.

Not talked about much: #Irma‘s rain. Widespread 6-10″, pockets of 10-14″ in South and Central Florida. pic.twitter.com/dRGTx7mZfD

— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) September 10, 2017

As the storm’s spiral bands walloped Central and Northern Florida, the potential for tornadoes arose in the swirling air, and the Weather Service issued watches and scores of warnings.

Storm warnings in effect and predicted surge height and winds

Hurricane warnings cover all of Florida except the western Panhandle, where a tropical storm warning was in effect.

A storm-surge warning was also issued for much of the Florida Peninsula (except for a small section from North Miami Beach to Jupiter Inlet), and even extended up the Georgia coast into southern South Carolina. The Hurricane Center said that this would bring the risk of “dangerous” and “life-threatening” inundation and that the threat was highest along Florida’s southwest coast and in the Florida Keys, where it said the surge is expected to be “catastrophic.”

(National Weather Service)

European model simulation of maximum winds gusts every 6 hours Sunday to Monday from Hurricane Irma. (WeatherBell.com)

Irma’s ultimate destination will be along the west coast of Florida. This means the conditions will deteriorate rapidly from Naples to Tampa Bay throughout Sunday afternoon. However, Irma’s path will take it parallel to the west coast of Florida, keeping the entire region engulfed in the dangerous northeast quadrant of the storm, where winds are strongest. Sustained hurricane force winds and gusts over 100 mph should arrive in Naples Sunday afternoon and up to 75-100 mph in St. Petersburg/Tampa Bay between 10 p.m. and midnight or so.

Hurricane force winds will make their way up Florida’s west coast, peaking in Naples this evening and in the St. Petersburg/Tampa area after midnight. Via NWS

Exceptional storm surge flooding possible in Naples south including Marco Island

Map shows reasonable worst case scenario #Irma pic.twitter.com/8DQBX7lNi5

— Greg Diamond (@gdimeweather) September 9, 2017

Orlando/Central Florida 

Time frame for worst conditions: Sunday night through Monday morning.

Hazard threats: Wind, rain, and tornadoes.

Inland areas won’t escape the effects of Irma. The storm is extremely large in size, with tropical-storm-force winds extending outward over 200 miles from the center. The wind speeds in central Florida and the Orlando area will start to pick up by late Sunday afternoon, with sustained winds of 40 to 60 mph and gusts of 70-plus mph lasting from late Sunday night through Monday morning.

Heavy rain will also cause problems, with a general six to 12-plus inches of rain expected by the time the storm is over. The threat of tornadoes will increase by Sunday night, as well, as the storm’s center tracks north along the west coast of Florida.

Jacksonville/Daytona Beach 

Time frame for worst conditions: Sunday evening through Monday afternoon.

Hazard threats: Rain, tornadoes, wind.

The northeast portion of Florida will be spared the worst of Irma but won’t escape unscathed. Sustained tropical-force winds of 40 to 55 mph will overspread the area from Daytona Beach to Jacksonville by Sunday evening, with the worst winds (gusts up to 70 mph) occurring overnight. Heavy rain will be a story line here as six to 10-plus inches of rain is expected to fall in a relatively short period.

As with other parts of the state, the tornado threat will peak overnight on Sunday as Irma’s storm center tracks northward.

Storm-surge values will be elevated (two to four feet) but should result in only minor to moderate coastal flooding.

Potential effects on Georgia and the southeastern United States

Georgia/Atlanta/South Carolina

Time frame for worst conditions: Monday morning through Tuesday morning.

Hazard threats: Wind, rain and, at the coast, storm surge

Hurricane warnings extend well into Georgia, covering over half of the state. Parts of southern South Carolina also are under a hurricane warning, with Irma poised to maintain its hurricane-force strength for several hours after landfall.

Sustained tropical force winds of 25 to 45 mph will spread over Georgia from south to north starting late Sunday night. The strongest sustained winds (40 to 50 mph) with gusts of 60-plus mph will move in on early Monday morning, lasting through Monday evening. This includes Atlanta, which is under a tropical-storm warning, where sustained winds of 25 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph will occur from about 10 p.m. Sunday night to about 5 p.m. Monday afternoon. This could lead to downed trees and outages.

Heavy rain is also expected, with storm totals of six to 10 inches forecast, the bulk of which should fall Monday.

At 3:35 p.m. Sunday, Irma had made its second U.S. landfall of the day over Marco Island, where a wind gust of 130 mph was reported.

Earlier, the storm officially made its initial U.S. landfall at Cudjoe Key at 9:10 a.m. as a Category 4 hurricane. Winds over the Keys raged, gusting to at least 94 mph in Key West (before the wind instrument failed) and up to 120 mph in Big Pine Key. Witness video showed the rising storm surge flooding Key West streets.

Before its encounter with the Keys, Irma made landfall on the north coast of Cuba as a Category 5 hurricane just after 9 p.m. Friday, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph. It became that country’s first Category 5 hurricane since 1924. Fueled by the extremely warm ocean temperatures, Irma reintensified to the maximum hurricane classification level after weakening slightly on Friday afternoon.

As it scraped Cuba’s north coast early Saturday, it produced a sustained wind gust of 118 mph, and a gust to 159 mph was reported at Falla, Cuba, in the eyewall of the hurricane.

Irma’s eye approaches the north coast of Cuba on Friday night. Via NASA

On Friday, before making landfall along Cuba’s north-central coast, Irma passed north of Haiti and then between Cuba’s northeast coast and the Central Bahamas.

Thursday evening, the center of the storm passed very close to the Turks and Caicos, producing potentially catastrophic Category 5 winds. The storm surge was of particular concern, as the water had the potential to rise 16 to 20 feet above normally dry land in coastal sections north of the storm center, causing extreme inundation.

3 hours in #Irma northern eye wall. pic.twitter.com/Mnp9Ykrhv9

— Bill Karins (@BillKarins) September 8, 2017

A devastating storm surge and destructive winds had also probably battered the southeastern Bahamas, near Great Inagua Island.

The NOAA-NASA Suomi NPP satellite captured this infrared image of #HurricaneIrma at 2:37am ET, Sept. 8, 2017, near Great Inagua Island pic.twitter.com/Z6NoHVulht

— NOAA Satellites PA (@NOAASatellitePA) September 8, 2017

Through early Thursday, the storm had battered islands from Puerto Rico to the northern Lesser Antilles.

While the center of Irma passed just north of Puerto Rico late Wednesday, a wind gust of 63 mph was clocked in San Juan early Wednesday evening, and more than 900,000 people were reported to be without power. In Culebra, Puerto Rico, a small island 17 miles east of the main island, a wind gust registered 111 mph in the afternoon.

On Wednesday afternoon, the storm’s eye had moved over Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, and its southern eyewall raked St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Early Wednesday afternoon, a wind gust to 131 mph was clocked on Buck Island and 87 mph on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

On Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, the hurricane passed directly over Barbuda and St. Martin in the northern Leeward Islands, the strongest hurricane recorded in that region and tied with the 1935 Florida Keys hurricane as the strongest Atlantic storm to strike land.

As Barbuda took a direct hit, the weather station there clocked a wind gust to 155 mph before it went offline.

The storm also passed directly over Anguilla and St. Martin early Wednesday, causing severe damage.

Irma’s place in history

Irma’s peak intensity (185 mph) ranks among the strongest in recorded history, exceeding the likes of Katrina, Andrew and Camille — whose winds peaked at 175 mph.

Among the most intense storms on record, it trails only Hurricane Allen in 1980, which had winds of 190 mph. It is tied for second-most intense with Hurricane Wilma in 2005, Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 and the 1935 Florida Keys hurricane.

The storm maintained maximum wind speeds of at least 180 mph for 37 hours, longer than any storm on Earth on record, passing Super Typhoon Haiyan, the previous record-holder (24 hours).

Late Tuesday, its pressure dropped to 914 millibars (the lower the pressure, the stronger the storm), ranking as the lowest of any storm on record outside the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico in the Atlantic basin.

The storm has generated the most “accumulated cyclone energy,” a measure of a storm’s duration and intensity, of any hurricane on record.

Irma’s landfall pressure of 929 millibars in the Florida Keys was the lowest for any U.S. landfalling hurricane since Katrina (920 millibars) and for a Florida landfall since Andrew (922 millibars). It ranks as the seventh-lowest pressure of any U.S. landfalling storm.

When Irma crashed into the Keys early Sunday as a Category 4, following Hurricane Harvey’s assault in Texas, it marked the first time on record that two Category 4 storms had made landfall in the United States in the same year.

Capital Weather Gang hurricane expert Brian McNoldy contributed to this report. Credit to tropical-weather expert and occasional Capital Weather Gang contributor Phil Klotzbach for some of the statistics in this section.