Florida Governor To Miami-Dade: Expect 'Major Hurricane Impacts'

HIALEAH, FL — As much of South Florida came under a hurricane and storm surge watch on Thursday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott warned that Miami-Dade County is likely to experience "major hurricane impacts" this weekend when Hurricane Irma makes landfall in South Florida. Miami-Dade and Broward Counties began mandatory evacuations on Thursday as the storm continued to move toward Florida. Irma remained a deadly Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 180 miles per hours.

See also Hurricane And Storm Surge Watch Issued For South Florida and Hurricane Irma: Miami-Dade Expands Evacuation Order To 650K People

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"Based on what we now know, Miami-Dade will have major hurricane impacts with deadly storm surge ... and life threatening winds," Scott said at a Hialeah emergency center on Thursday. "We expect this all along the entire East Coast. The Florida Keys should be prepared to start feeling the effects of the storm as early as tomorrow night."

Scott added that Floridians do not need to evacuate out of state or hundreds of miles away to be safe.

Watch: Florida Governor Pleads For Gas Stations To Remain Open

Scott said that the storm is likely to be worse than Hurricane Andrew, which struck South Florida 25 years ago in August of 1992. It remains the only Category 5 storm that has ever struck a major metropolitan area of the United States. See also Irma May Be Worse Than Andrew: Weather Channel's Norcross

"Remember Hurricane Andrew is one of the worst storms in the history of Florida," the governor said. "This is much worse and more devastating on its current path. Irma has already caused multiple fatalities. This storm is powerful and deadly."

Scott said that Irma is also much larger than Hurricane Andrew.

"If you look at the size of this storm it’s huge," Scott acknowledged. "It is wider than our entire state and can cause major and life-threatening impacts on both coasts, coast to coast. Regardless on which coast you live on be prepared to evacuate."

Gov. Rick Scott photo courtesy state of Florida