(NBC/AP) - As Hurricane Irma headed toward the Caribbean, a Hurricane Hunter plane went into the eye of the storm.
Video from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed how drastic the change is from the raging storm to the calm of the hurricane's eye.
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Forecasters believe it could make landfall in Florida as early as Saturday night.
IRMA STRIKES CARIBBEAN
Irma hit the northeast Caribbean islands Wednesday morning and is expected to hit Puerto Rico Wednesday night.
The eye of Hurricane Irma passed over Barbuda around 1:47 a.m., the U.S. National Weather Service said. Residents said over local radio that phone lines went down.
Heavy rain and howling winds raked the neighboring island of Antigua, sending debris flying as people huddled in their homes or government shelters.
The storm seemed almost certain to hit the United States by early next week.
"You'd be hard pressed to find any model that doesn't have some impact on Florida." said University of Miami senior hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy.
In Florida, people stocked up on drinking water and other supplies.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott activated 100 members of the Florida National Guard to be deployed across the state, and 7,000 National Guard members were to report for duty Friday when the storm could be approaching the area. On Monday, Scott declared a state of emergency in all of Florida's 67 counties.
Officials in the Florida Keys geared up to get tourists and residents out of Irma's path, and the mayor of Miami-Dade County said people should be prepared to evacuate Miami Beach and most coastal areas.
