Hurricane Irma is once again forecast to hit the Florida Keys as a Category 5 storm, as more than a million people have fled its path and abandoned their homes. Meteorologists expect the powerful hurricane to hit the Sunshine State between 5am and 7am ET on Sunday.  'Obviously Hurricane Irma continues to be a threat that is going to devastate the United States, ' Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said at a press conference Friday morning. 'We're going to have a couple rough days.' The storm was first downgraded from a Category 5 to a Category 4 earlier on Friday morning, but as of 5pm ET on Friday, it is predicted to hit the U.S. as a Category 5. This will only be the fourth time ever a Category 5 has hit US mainland. As of 6.30pm ET Friday, the hurricane is moving west at 12 mph and located 345 miles southeast of Miami. Government officials along with the National Hurricane Center have cautioned that Irma is 'extremely dangerous' with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. That's strong enough to bring down power poles, uproot trees and rip the roofs off of homes.  In preparation for what is predicted to be the most powerful hurricane to hit the United States in years, an estimated 1.4million people have been given mandatory evacuation orders in both Florida and Georgia.       Scroll down for video  The above map shows Hurricane Irma's current projected track towards the U.S. and up the state of Florida this weekend Boarded up buildings are seen in preparation of Hurricane Irma during a mandatory evacuation in Miami Beach, Florida on Friday  People use their cellphones near boarded up stores in preparation of Hurricane Irma in Miami Beach, Florida on Friday  Hundreds of people gather in an emergency shelter at the Miami-Dade County Fair Expo Center in Miami, Florida on Friday  A message to Hurricane Irma is written on the facade of a boarded restaurant on Friday in Miami Beach, Florida An empty beach is seen before the arrival of hurricane Irma in Miami, Florida on Friday  Traffic along Interstate 75 north, rear, crawls toward Atlanta as drivers flee Hurricane Irma on Friday in Griffin, Georgia The Worth Avenue shopping district is shown after a mandatory evacuation order went into effect on the barrier island of Palm Beach, Florida on Friday In this geocolor image GOES-16 satellite image taken on Friday, Hurricane Irma, center, approaches Cuba and Florida, with Hurricane Katia, left, in the Gulf of Mexico, and Hurricane Jose, right, in the Atlantic Ocean Hurricane Irma is driving toward Florida passing the eastern end of Cuba as Hurricane Katia (L) is also seen in this NASA GOES satellite image taken at 1pm ET A photo of Hurricane Irma on Thursday, taken by NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik on the International Space Station. more videos 1 2 3 Watch video Moment teacher is arrested for taking 15-year old to her flat for sex Watch video Teacher buys Gucci belt for boy then takes him back to flat for sex Watch video Screaming match breaks out on flight between man and mother with kids Watch video Gavin Plumb's ex girlfriend: 'That's not the person I knew' Watch video Las Vegas prostitute murdered after strangled during $2, 000 sex Watch video Revolting video shows removal of gross, giant parasite in action Watch video Moment four brazen young shoplifters pinch trainers from Nike shop Watch video YouTube star iShowSpeed dragged out of Oslo building by mob of fans Watch video Watch moment man takes down phone thief in Taco Bell Watch video Turkish fans overjoyed as team advances to quarter-finals Watch video 'Struggled to stay awake': Ralf Rangnick takes a swipe at England Watch video Turkish fans overjoyed as their team advances to quarter-finals Apocalyptic scenes are playing out across the Sunshine State,  as more than a million people flee Hurricane Irma's wrath.     Florida Gov. Rick Scott is telling residents in the southern coastal evacuation areas to leave by midnight. 'If you are planning to leave and do not leave tonight, you will have to ride out this extremely dangerous storm at your own risk, ' Scott said at a Friday press conference.  He also urged residents on the Gulf Coast to take evacuation orders seriously since Irma's path has moved slightly west. 'You are not going to survive this if it happens, ' Scott said. 'Now is the time to evacuate.' The forecasts show that dangerous storm surges could begin as early as Saturday night before the storm even hits Florida.   It's then expected to track directly up the state, crossing the state line into Georgia early next week.     Hurricane Irma killed at least 24 people in the Caribbean and left thousands homeless as it devastated small islands in its path.  And it's already proved deadly in the U.S. A man installing hurricane shutters on his Florida home fell off a ladder and died on Thursday.   The National Hurricane Center issued hurricane warnings for the Keys and parts of South Florida and Lake Okeechobee. It added a storm surge warning and extended watch areas wrapping around much of the peninsula.  For Irma, forecasters predicted a storm surge of 6 to 12 feet above ground level along Florida's southwest coast and in the Keys. As much as a foot of rain could fall across the state, with isolated spots receiving 20 inches.  Scott has been pleading with his citizens all week to evacuate if they are ordered to, and to prepare – no matter the direction of the storm.