Hurricane Irma Downgraded To Category 1 Storm

TAMPA, FL — Hurricane Irma has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Category 1 hurricanes have maximum sustained winds of 74 to 95 miles per hour. With Irma's sustained wins topping at 85 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center, it now ranks as a category 1.

They said the damage from a category one storm includes:

"Very dangerous winds will produce some damage: Well-constructed frame homes could have damage to roof, shingles, vinyl siding and gutters. Large branches of trees will snap and shallowly rooted trees may be toppled. Extensive damage to power lines and poles likely will result in power outages that could last a few to several days."

As of 2 a.m. Monday, Sept. 11, over 3.6 million Florida residents were experiencing power outages after the Florida Power and Light company restored power to almost 493,000, according to their website.

Hurricane Irma was battering Florida's west coast Sunday night after making landfall at Marco Island about 3:30 p.m. Sunday. The storm had weakened to a Category 2 by 8 p.m. but was still packing maximum sustained winds of 105 mph while making its way toward the Tampa Bay area. With the threat looming, communities across the region announced mandatory curfews.

The monstrous storm that tore through the Caribbean, leaving at least 20 people dead in its wake, is now blamed for at least three deaths in Florida. Irma was moving north at 14 mph Sunday evening. At 11 p.m., the storm was about 50 miles from Tampa. The storm's winds were being felt in the Tampa Bay area with several law enforcement agencies pulling officers off the roads for their safety.

Late Sunday night, officials issued an extreme wind warning in Polk County, cautioning residents that gusts could reach up to 100 mph. At this intensity, experts warn that the winds are “life-threatening.” The warning will continue into Monday morning until around 12:45 a.m.

Tampa Bay could get up to 15 inches of rain with the possibility of 20 inches in isolated areas.

Florida airports have shut down operations, too. Many airports in Florida and Georgia have cancelled all flights through Monday and Tuesday. American Airlines is generously offering a $99 cap on main cabin flights out of and into the affected airports once operations resume.

All police, fire and emergency crews in Hillsborough County were off the roads in the county late Sunday night. Hillsborough Fire Rescue announced that units would respond to emergencies when it is deemed safe.

Irma is expected to become a tropical storm over far northern Florida or southern Georgia on Monday. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 415 miles.

(For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Tampa Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

• See also: Hurricane Irma: Is It The Disaster Experts Fear For Tampa Bay?

A storm surge warning remained in effect for Tampa Bay. Storm surge warnings mean storm surges are anticipated within the warning area over the next 36 hours.

A meteorologist for WFTS in Tampa says that the landfall is good news because Irma has shifted to the east a bit. But he cautions that the Tampa Bay area will experience hurricane-strength winds for an estimated 15 hours. Hillsborough County is expected to see 75 to 100 mph winds.

The hurricane center said, "Irma is expected to remain a hurricane at least through Monday morning."

Tornado watches went up Sunday afternoon for many counties in Irma's path. In the Tampa Bay area, watches are in effect until 12 a.m. Monday for Pasco, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Pinellas, Polk and Hernando counties. Tornado watches mean that conditions are favorable for tornado development.

With the threat of Irma still looming large, communities across the Tampa Bay area announced curfews Sunday afternoon. Residents of Tampa, Manatee County and Temple Terrace were among those affected by curfews.

TECO was reporting more than 240,000 customers without power in the Tampa Bay area about 11:30 p.m. Duke Energy reported 923,415 customers without service and Florida Power & Light said 210,800 customers were without power. The Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Center had lost power Sunday night and was running on a generator.

Transformers have blown near downtown Tampa late Sunday night as winds and rain battered the area.

On Sunday afternoon in Land O' Lakes, nervous chatter filled the air at a Chinese restaurant. After news spread on Facebook that China Wok would remain open until 4 p.m., some made mad dashes in between squalls to grab “one last hot meal” before Irma.

Restaurant workers rushed to fill orders while phones rang off the hook. Customers talked about their preparations and what the next 24 hours might bring. One man reported already seeing billboards down in neighboring Hillsborough County while another said he’d transformed his home into a “bunker.”

Disappointment was evident on new arrivals’ faces when employees announced the lo mein supply gone. Cream cheese won tons were also off the menu with only minutes to go before the eatery’s staff intended to shutter for the storm.

Watch: Tarpon Springs Woman Will Ride Out Hurricane Irma At Her Store

As Irma's rains and winds began to be felt in the Tampa Bay area, Clearwater Police took to Twitter to report a crash on Gulf-to-Bay. They posted photos of the accident as a warning to stay off the roads.

In Manatee County, receding waters left two manatees stranded. Sheriff's deputies and other rescuers jumped in to save the critters, the agency reported on Twitter.

Speaking of animals, the storm's got alligators in places they shouldn't be.

The storm's potential impacts on the Tampa Bay area have local officials on edge. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman took to Twitter Sunday morning to warn residents in his area.

Sgt. Steve Gaskins, of the Florida Highway Patrol, used his Twitter account Sunday morning to offer assurances to those trying to flee the storm's wrath.

The city of Tampa also issued a warning about the dangers of going out into the Bay as the storm approaches. While the extremely low waters off Bayshore Boulevard are a curiosity, the risk is great, officials warned.

Storm surge potential is a major concern in the Tampa Bay area. "The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline," hurricane center forecasters wrote in Saturday's 5 p.m. update. "the water is expected to reach the following heights above ground if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:"

• Cape Sable to Captiva: 10 to 15 feet
• Captiva to Anna Maria Island: 6 to 10 feet
• Anna Maria Island to Clearwater Beach (including Tampa Bay): 5 to 8 feet
• Clearwater Beach to Ochlockonee River: 4 to 6 feet

Analysis: There's No Way Around Irma's Wrath For Florida

Like Tampa Patch on Facebook and keep reading below:

At the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office in Ruskin, forecasters have issued a flash flood watch through 4 p.m. Sept. 11, in addition to the hurricane and storm surge warnings. The flash flood watch covers the entire Tampa Bay area, including Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Manatee counties, among others. Hurricane Irma, forecasters say, is expected to dump 8 to 15 inches of rain across the region “with isolated amounts of up to 20 inches possible.”

"Although the amount of intensification expected from Irma has been decreased with the latest forecasts through Sunday morning, make no mistake that Irma is still a dangerous hurricane and is forecast to move near or over the west coast of the Florida peninsula Sunday through early Monday morning with the potential for significant and life threatening impacts from wind, surge and rain," weather service forecasters wrote Sunday morning. "Winds will gust to tropical storm force as fast-moving squalls move across southwest Florida early this morning. These squalls will increase in frequency and intensity during today as the outer rain bands of Irma spread north over the Florida peninsula. Given the current forecast track, a period of damaging winds is expected across all of west-central and southwest Florida between late Sunday morning and Monday morning."

See also:

• Manatee County Enacts Curfew As Irma Nears
• Temple Terrace Enacts Curfew As Irma Nears
• Tampa Enacts Curfew As Irma Nears
• St. Pete Enacts Curfew As Irma Nears
• Sunshine Skyway Closes Ahead Of Irma
• Tampa Enacts Curfew As Irma Nears
• Hurricane Irma: Is It The Disaster Experts Fear For Tampa Bay?
• Pinellas Expands Mandatory Evacuations Ahead Of Irma
• Hurricane Irma: Ports In Tampa, St. Pete, Manatee Closed
• Hillsborough County Issues Mandatory Evacuation Ahead Of Irma
• Hurricane Irma: Sleepless In Tampa Bay
• Pasco County Issues Mandatory Evacuation Ahead Of Irma
• Polk County Issues Mandatory Evacuation Ahead Of Irma
• Hurricane Irma Power Outages: How To Report In Tampa Bay
• Tampa, MacDill Issue Mandatory Evacuations Ahead Of Irma
• St. Pete Sandbag Supply Runs Out Ahead Of Hurricane Irma
• Manatee County Expands Evacuations Ahead Of Irma
• Florida Sheriff Offers ‘Shelter’ To Criminals During Irma
• Hurricane Irma: Pasco County Opening Shelters
• Where To Find Gas In The Tampa Bay Area: Hurricane Irma Evacuation
• All Florida Schools, State Offices Ordered To Close As Hurricane Irma Nears
• Hurricane Irma: FDOT Urges Evacuees To Use Real-Time Apps
• Florida Fuel Shortages: Governor Makes Appeal As Hurricane Irma Nears
• Shelters Opening In Manatee County As Hurricane Irma Nears
• Hurricane Irma: American Air Suspends Flights, Caps Fares

On Thursday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott warned about Irma’s size. “This thing is bigger than our entire state,” Scott said during a press conference. “Take this thing seriously.”

Graphic via the NASA Facebook page