Hurricane Irma: Will It Reach Tennessee?

NASHVILLE, TN — Weather forecasters are calling Hurricane Irma a Category 4 monster that could break records for destruction and mayhem when it passes through Florida this weekend. Thousands of residents of the Sunshine State are fleeing the coming storm, jamming the highways and causing gasoline shortages.

The hurricane brought 180-mile-per-hour winds and sheets of rain as it moved past Puerto Rico on Thursday, according to media reports. But if Irma reaches Middle Tennessee next week, it will have petered out into an ordinary storm system, say forecasters. (For more weather updates and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

The National Hurricane Center predicted Friday that Irma has the potential to bring one to two inches of rain to Tennessee, with Florida bracing for 10 to 15 inches.

The hurricane is expected to make landfall in south Florida late Saturday night and move north through the state by Monday, WZTV Fox17 News reported. It's expected to weaken to a tropical depression as it moves through Georgia and neighboring states.

Watch: Florida Braces As Irma Rips Across The Caribbean

SEE MORE: Hurricane Irma Bearing Down On Florida, Georgia, Carolinas

Craig Edwards, a WZTV weatherman, said the latest models show the storm hitting Middle Tennessee by Wednesday. The system is expected to reach Williamson County at about 1 a.m. Wednesday, with heavy rains and winds of 25 to 35 mph.

Image: Predicted rainfall of Hurricane Irma (National Weather Service)