Hurricane Irma back to a Category 5 storm as it sweeps into Cuba and continues a path toward Florida

MIAMI_Hurricane Irma continued its deadly sweep through the Caribbean on Friday, escalating once again to a Category 5 storm as it made landfall in Cuba during the night with sustained winds of 160 mph.

Residents of Florida waited with frazzled nerves and growing fears as the powerful storm, with a footprint as big as Texas, roared toward the mainland United States.

"Obviously Hurricane Irma continues to be a threat that is going to devastate the United States," said Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "Anybody from Alabama to North Carolina should be watching this storm very closely."

The center of the storm was expected to reach the Florida Keys by Sunday morning and aim its full force on southern Florida - whether