Michelle sweeps across Cuba, threatens Bahamas

HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- Hurricane Michelle was expected to pass over Cuba Sunday night, then churn through the Florida Straits overnight toward the Bahamas, forecasters said.

The storm weakened as it passed over Cuba, and its winds dropped to 110 mph (175 kilometers per hour), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. The storm could pick up strength once it is over open water, forecasters said.

Michelle was reported Sunday evening as a category 2 storm, and forecasters expected it to weaken further over the next 24 hours. They also predicted a 20 percent chance that the tempest would make direct landfall along southeast Florida's heavily populated coastline, but laid roughly even odds on Michelle touching the Florida Keys.

MICHELLE INFORMATION At 10 p.m. EST Sunday STATUS Category Four hurricane POSITION Near 22.9 degrees north latitude, 80.4 degrees west longitude, over Cuba, about 240 miles (385 kilometers) southwest of Nassau, Bahamas MOVEMENT Northeast near 13 mph (21 kilometers per hour) WIND SPEED 110 mph (175 kilometers per hour) with stronger gusts OUTLOOK The storm is expected to cross Cuba Sunday and enter the Florida Straits early Monday. EXTRA INFORMATION In-depth: Hurricanes    PHOTO GALLERY Hurricane Michelle closes in on Cuba

As of 10 p.m. EST, the center of Michelle was located over Cuba, and was about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of Nassau in the Bahamas. It was moving northeast at about 13 mph (21 kph) and was expected to cross Cuba Sunday night and enter the Florida Straits early Monday.

Hurricane center projections showed that the most probable path for the center of Michelle tracked northeast across Cuba, then across the Bahamas and out into the Atlantic.

Hurricane-force winds extended 50 miles (85 kilometers) from the center of the storm, and tropical storm-force winds extended 175 miles (280 kilometers), forecasters said. Heavy squalls with tropical storm-force winds were spreading across the Florida Keys and moving toward the southeast coast of Florida.

Warnings in Cuba, the Keys

Hurricane warnings remained in effect for western Cuba, from the province of Penar del Rio eastward to Ciego de Avila. The Florida Keys also remained under a hurricane warning, and tropical storm warning was in place for the southwest and southeast Florida coasts.

A hurricane watch was in effect for Bermuda Sunday night.

Cuba's Civil Defense Authority evacuated more than 300,000 people, the majority in Pinar del Rio and Havana. Those deemed at greatest risk live in low-lying areas near the sea, where an expected storm surge could inundate the landscape. Forecasters also predicted 10 to 20 inches of rain.

Cubans stocked up on water and food and removed unstable objects from their yards and roofs. Workers boarding up windows in buildings caused a run on plywood.

Evacuations

On Friday, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency, which authorizes evacuations and the use of the National Guard to assist in emergency operations. The state also activated its Emergency Operations Center.

A mandatory evacuation order was imposed Saturday night for residents in the Florida Keys, from the Seven Mile Bridge up to and including Key West. Non-residents in the entire Keys area were ordered to evacuate earlier Saturday.

Sunday afternoon, Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas ordered a mandatory evacuation of people living in mobile homes, unsafe structures and in low-lying or flood-prone areas. Officials opened six shelters to handle evacuees.

Public schools in Miami-Dade will be closed Monday, and "our recommendation is, if at all possible, to stay home" Monday, Penelas said.

A tropical storm warning was in place for the east coast of Florida south of Jupiter Inlet in Martin County, including the cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Another tropical storm warning was issued for the west coast of Florida south of Bonita Beach in Lee County, including the city of Naples.

People in the Bahamas were also bracing for Michelle, with a hurricane warning in place for the northwestern and central islands, including Grand Bahama.

Michelle was a category 4 storm when it made landfall in Cuba, prompting one official at the National Weather Service to term it "extremely dangerous." Hurricane Andrew, which killed dozens of people and caused extensive damage in Miami-Dade County in 1992, was a category 4 storm.

Hurricane categories are measured on the Saffir/Simpson scale, with category 5 the strongest.

--CNN Havana Bureau Chief Lucia Newman contributed to this report.