Irma: 'Strongest Atlantic hurricane ever' heads towards Caribbean

Florida has declared a state of emergency, asking Mr Trump for a "pre-landfall" emergency declaration as the storm heads its way.

Hurricane Irma, which is heading towards the Caribbean and southern United States , could bring winds of 185mph.

The US National Hurricane Centre said Irma was "potentially catastrophic" and tweeted that it was "the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic (Ocean) outside the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico in NHC records".

The hurricane was upgraded to a category five storm - the highest possible designation - on Tuesday afternoon.

Image:People on the island of Saint-Martin prepare for the coming storm

Irma's eye is forecast to cross the northern Leeward Islands, east of Puerto Rico, on Tuesday night or early Wednesday and is expected to reach southern Florida on Saturday.

The Governor of Florida, Rick Scott, has declared a state of emergency, asking President Trump to make a "pre-landfall" emergency declaration.

British Airways sent an empty aircraft to the region, bringing 326 customers back home on Tuesday before the hurricane arrived.

The airline also cancelled a flight from the UK to Antigua, advising anyone due to travel to the Caribbean and Florida in the coming days to re-book.

A Virgin Atlantic flight leaving Antigua on Tuesday left five hours early to avoid the storm, with the company also advising passengers to re-book flights.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office told Britons to follow the advice of the local authorities and any evacuation orders.

There are fears that Irma could be be even stronger than Hurricane Harvey when it hits land.

Hurricane Harvey, a category four storm at its strongest, had maximum sustained winds of 130mph just before it made landfall in Texas, killing more than 60 people and leaving 30,000 homeless.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is warning that Irma's winds could strengthen further in the next 48 hours as it approaches the Caribbean.

Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said the storm is currently out in the North Atlantic and only a few hundred miles east of the Leewards Islands, which include Montserrat, a British overseas territory, and Antigua.

The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center is that it will score a direct hit on the island of Barbuda at 7am BST on Wednesday, followed by another direct hit on Anguilla, another British overseas territory, at 7pm BST the same day.

Image:The predicted path of Hurricane Irma at 8am AST (1pm UK time) on Tuesday

There is a chance it will go on to hit or pass very close to Florida at the weekend. It is expected to bring around half a metre of rain there.

"The initial threat of Irma is for the Leewards Islands through Tuesday night and early Wednesday," Ghaffar said.

"As it gets closer, dangerous storm surge and large breaking waves will make water levels rise and lead to coastal flooding.

"Worst-hit areas look likely to be the British and US Virgin Islands."

Forecasters have said Irma is a classic "Cape Verde hurricane" which forms in the far eastern Atlantic near the Cape Verde Islands and then moves all the way across the Atlantic.

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has ordered workers to clear drains and prune trees as branches could down power lines in strong winds.

"The passage of a hurricane is not a matter to be taken lightly, but we must not panic," he said.

Briton Carolyne Coleby, who runs a guest house and turtle conservation project on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, said the storm was going to be "spectacularly unpleasant".

Taking heed of the hurricane warnings, she is sheltering her herd of 20 goats in her house to save them from the worst of the storm.

Governor of US territory Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, said 10-20cm of rain was expected, as well as winds of 40-50mph as he warned of flooding and power cuts.

A state of emergency was declared on the island, which has a population of about 3.4 million.

Ronald Jackson, head of the Caribbean disaster emergency management agency, said: "We're looking at Irma as a very significant event.

"I can't recall a tropical cone developing that rapidly into a major hurricane prior to arriving in the central Caribbean."

Florida governor Rick Scott urged the state's residents to ensure their disaster supply kits were ready.

"FL (Florida) knows how important it is to be prepared. Encourage your loved ones to have a plan ahead of any potential storm," he tweeted.

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