Irma weakens to Category 1 Hurricane but still poses threat

Its eye located about 40 kilometers northeast of the vulnerable Tampa area.

Miami, September: Hurricane Irma weakened to a Category 1 storm early on Monday as it marched up the US state of Florida's northwestern coast.

Its eye located about 40 kilometers northeast of the vulnerable Tampa area.

Maximum sustained winds had decreased to near 85 miles per hour as of 2:00 am local time, with Irma projected to become a tropical storm as it moved into northern Florida or southern Georgia later today.

Warnings of dangerous storm surges remained in effect through vast swaths of peninsular Florida, where more than six million people had been ordered to flee Irma in one of the biggest evacuations in US history.

The massive storm triggered evacuation orders for 5.6 million people before it made two landfalls in the state Sunday.

The first one was over the Florida Keys, which Irma hit as a Category 4 hurricane. The second one, in Marco Island, left the island without water and power, authorities said.

PTI