Hurricane Irma is expected to hit today the coast of Florida, in the US, but the outer bands are already affecting the south of the state and central Miami is being lashed by heavy rain. <br/><br/>The Florida Keys – a chain of small islands to the south – have suffered some minor damage and are expected to bear the brunt of the storm today. The western Gulf coast is expected to be worst affected, with cities such as Tampa and St Petersburg in the path of the storm. Florida's state governor has asked residents to move to shelters and leave their homes and avoid the roads as Hurricane Irma approaches. <br/><br/>According to Florida Power and Light, energy provider, thousands of people on the mainland are currently without electricity. The US Hurricane Centre predict that Florida's southwest coast from Cape Sable to Captiva could see catastrophic storm surge flooding of 10 to 15 feet, while the area around Tampa Bay could see five to eight feet of storm surge.<br/>'<br/>After devastating several Caribbean islands, Irma is lashing Cuba with strong winds and heavy rain. It was the first category five hurricane to hit Cuba in more than 80 years, and it is expected to strengthen again before reaching Florida. Some 6.3 million people, more than 25 per cent of the US state's population, have been ordered to evacuate. The hurricane made landfall on the Sabana-Camaguey Archipelago, in Cuba's north-east, on Saturday as a category five storm. Irma now has a maximum sustained wind of 200 kilometres per hour.<br/>At least 24 people are so far known to have died as Hurricane Irma progressed across the Caribbean throughout the week.<br/>''''<br/>