See the Staggering Scale of Hurricane Irma and Its Eye

As Hurricane Irma charges toward more northeastern Caribbean islands and Florida, staggering details about the storm’s massive size come to light.

The storm, which has graduated to a Category 5 with sustained winds of over 180 mph, is the biggest and strongest to hit the Atlantic in over a decade.

While the exact forecast, size and path of Irma may continue to shift in the coming days, this catastrophic storm is reported to be roughly the size of France. Another graphic placed the hurricane’s estimated size over the state of Ohio with complete coverage, highlighting the magnitude of what will likely be the second hurricane to hit the United States this season.

As for the eye of the hurricane, one meterologist compares the size roughly to the square milage of Washington DC. As the eye approaches an area of land, those directly in line of the eyewall are hit with the heaviest storms.

Irma blasted over Barbuda and Antigua early Wednesday morning as it headed for Puerto Rico — with the Florida Keys in its sights by Saturday, forecasts predict.

The hurricane center describes of the damage that can occur from Category 5 winds: “A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.”

As Irma rolled through parts of the Caribbean overnight, some lands have already experienced this devastation.

In preparation for the storm’s likely hit in Florida this weekend, a mandatory evacuation of visitors and residents of the Florida Keys will go into effect on Wednesday, September 6, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

President Donald Trump has “offered the full resources of the federal government as Floridians prepare for Hurricane Irma,” said Florida governer Rick Scott in a statement Monday. Scott activated 100 National Guard troops Tuesday to begin helping with preparations for the storm, and 7,000 have been ordered to report for duty by Friday morning.

“Hurricane Irma is a major and life-threatening storm and Florida must be prepared. In Florida, we always prepare for the worst and hope for the best and while the exact path of Irma is not absolutely known at this time, we cannot afford to not be prepared,” Scott said.