Irma Makes Landfall in Caribbean, Heads Toward Puerto Rico: Map

(Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Irma, the most powerful storm to form in the open Atlantic Ocean, made landfall on the Caribbean island of Barbuda early Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour and higher gusts. Its current track will take it over the northern Virgin Islands and near Puerto Rico later Wednesday, according to a National Hurricane Center advisory at 8 a.m. New York time. Irma may make landfall in Florida by Monday. President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Florida on Tuesday.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sophie Caronello in Washington at scaronello@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Cesca Antonelli at fantonelli@bloomberg.net, Sheldon Reback