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Hurricane Irma Sets Record For 37 Hours Of Super Strength

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (CBSMiami) -- While there may have been a few cyclones stronger than Hurricane Irma and some have lasted longer, no other storm in recorded history has maintained top wind speeds of 185 mph for 37 hours straight.

Hurricane Irma
NOAA's GOES satellite shows Hurricane Irma as it moves towards the Florida Coast in the Caribbean Sea taken at 20:00 UTC on September 07, 2017. The state of Florida is in the track of where the hurricane may make landfall. (Photo by NOAA GOES Project via Getty Images)

Irma's intensity breaks the previous record of 24 hours held by Typhoon Haiyan that killed 6,000 people in the Philippines in 2013, according to Colorado State University hurricane expert Phil Klotzbach.

On Thursday morning, wind speeds dipped slightly to 175 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

A Hurricane Watch was issued for the Florida Keys and along parts of South Florida's coast. More than 650,000 Miami-Dade residents are under evacuation orders.

At least 10 people were killed in the Caribbean.

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