Hurricane Ike weakened to a Category 2 storm

Hurricane Ike weakened to a Category 2 storm after making landfall near Punta Lucrecia, which is located approximately 510 mi/823 km southeast of Havana, on 8 September 2008. As of 1200 UTC, the hurricane was located approximately 20 mi/35 km south of Camaguey, Cuba. Ike is moving west across central Cuba at 14 mph/10 kt and has maximum sustained winds of 100 mph/86 kt with higher gusts. According to meteorologists at Wilkens Weather Technologies, Ike is expected to weaken over the next 24 hours as it moves over Cuba. The storm will enter the Gulf of Mexico on 9 September 2008. It is too early to accurately forecast where Ike will make landfall along the Gulf Coast of the United States. The Cuban government evacuated more than 900,000 people ahead of the storm. Authorities in Florida have issued a mandatory evacuation order for the Florida Keys. Key West International Airport (KEYW/EYW) closed at 1900 local time on 8 September 2008.