Hurricane Warnings Issued for Fla. Keys

Dennis is now a major hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said Thursday evening, and hurricane warnings have been issued for the Florida Keys.

The center of Hurricane Dennis was southeast of southeastern Cuba and southwest of Guantanamo, moving north a near 15 mph with winds of up to 115 mph.

The Hurricane Warning Center in Miami said Dennis will be very near the southern coast of central Cuba on Friday.

The warnings were issued at 5 p.m. EDT for the lower Florida Keys from the Seven Mile Bridge westward to the Dry Tortugas. A tropical storm warning has been issued for the rest of the keys east of the Seven Mile Bridge to Ocean Reef and Florida Bay.

A hurricane watch remains in effect for much of Cuba, including the U.S. Naval Base and detention center at Guantanamo Bay.

A hurricane watch was issued for some of Cuba’s provinces, including Isle of Youth, Pinar del Rio, La Habana, Ciudad de la Habana and Holguin.