Pasco County Schools Announce Monday Decision

LAND O’ LAKES, FL — Pasco County public school students are getting an extra-long weekend courtesy of Hurricane Irma. The school district on Thursday night took to Facebook and Twitter to announce its intention to close down ahead on Monday in addition to Friday, Sept. 8.

“All Pasco County schools will be closed on Monday, September 11,” the district’s Twitter feed said. “Stay safe!” (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Land O’ Lakes Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Pasco County officials had issued a voluntary evacuation for Monday ahead of Irma’s expected Sunday arrival in the Sunshine State. The county has asked residents who live in mobile homes and low-lying areas to leave. Everyone who lives west of U.S. 19 is also strongly urged to evacuate.

Watch: New Track Has Irma Directly Hitting South Florida

• Also see: Pasco County Issues Voluntary Evacuation Ahead Of Hurricane Irma

By 5 p.m. Thursday, Irma was located about 40 miles south of Grand Turk Island. The Category 5 storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 175 mph while moving west-northwest at 16 mph.

On its current projected path, Hurricane Irma is expected to pass by Cuba on Friday and Saturday with the potential for landfall in south Florida on Sunday. As of the National Hurricane Center’s 5 p.m. Sept. 7 update, almost the entire peninsula of Florida remained in the storm’s possible path.

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Hurricane-force winds extended out from Irma by 70 miles Thursday. Tropical storm-force winds extended out 185 miles. Forecasters say, “some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful Category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days.” The storm has been blamed for at least 10 deaths in the Caribbean.

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