(AP) HURRICANE WARNINGS were posted for much of the island nation and a hurricane watch was issued for parts of the Florida Keys. At 5 a.m. EDT, Irene was centered about 125 miles southwest of the Cuban capital of Havana. It was moving due north at about 7 mph and was expected to bring at least a foot of rain to many areas.

In Cuba, the hurricane warning covered the Pinar del Rio, Havana, Matanzas and the Isle of Youth. A tropical storm warning remained in effect for the Cayman Islands to the south.
 
In Florida, a hurricane watch was issued for the Lower and Middle Keys, including the Dry Tortugas islands, extending up to Craig Key.  “The current track keeps the storm’s center west of the Keys, but they’ll feel the effects of the winds,” said John Guiney, a hurricane forecaster at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. “It could affect that area in 36 hours.” Winds across south Florida were expected to rise, and Florida’s southern coastal areas could experience winds of more than 39 mph, with higher gusts, by Thursday night.
 
A full evacuation of the Keys is not anticipated, said Billy Wagner, Monroe County Emergency Management director, but officials Wednesday began asking visitors in the lower Keys to leave just in case. Several public storm shelters were to open in the Keys for people with special needs, those living in mobile homes and others at special risk.