At 8 a.m. EDT, Dennis' eye was about 230 miles southeast of Havana, or roughly 285 miles south-southeast of Key West. It had slowed slightly and was moving northwest at about 12 mph.
Forecasters said the storm could drop 4 to 8 inches of rain Friday over the extreme end of southern Florida. A storm surge of 3 to 6 feet was possible in the lower Keys.
A hurricane warning was issued for the lower Keys. A hurricane watch was in effect for the middle and upper Keys.
As Sue Theroux waited for a Greyhound bus, she lamented over the plans thrown into disarray as Dennis barreled toward the Gulf of Mexico. The Point Pleasant, N.J., resident had planned to get married on Saturday. Instead, she and her groom, Tom Theroux, hastily held the ceremony on Thursday after tourists throughout the Florida Keys were ordered to evacuate.
"This is my wedding night, and I'll be on a bus," she said.
Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency. In addition to tourists, evacuation orders were given Thursday for all mobile home residents and those living in the southernmost part of the island chain.
As thousands fled, lines of cars were seen streaming out of the Keys. Airlines reported that nearly all flights out of Key West were full and Greyhound added buses to help get residents out of the area.
Those who stayed prepared to ride out the storm.
"There's so much stuff to do," said Mark "New" Hackmer, 24, as he put plywood over the windows at MamaJoe's Cycles & Stuff Inc. in Marathon, the midpoint of the Florida Keys. "We get this done early, and the hurricane party starts at 9."
