Miami: Hurricane Wilma, which weakened to a Category 4 storm after breaking intensity records in the Caribbean Sea, prompted widespread evacuations as it neared the Gulf of Mexico early on Thursday.
Wilma became a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on Wednesday as it churned toward western Cuba and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
Wilma struck coastal areas of Honduras on Wednesday.
Villages along the coast were evacuated and two Caribbean ports are closed.
More than 13 people are dead. Officials in Mexico are providing aid to cities bordering the Gulf coast.
Densely populated southern Florida is in the storm's projected path.
Wilma's top winds weakened to 155 mph (250 kmph) on Thursday, with higher gusts.
Forecasters at the US National Hurricane Center said it could strengthen again.
Forecasters have said that the core of the hurricane could hit Yucatan on Friday, sending a 3-metre surge of sea water over the coast.
The season's record-tying 21st storm, fueled by the warm waters of the northwest Caribbean, strengthened rapidly into a Category 5 hurricane on Wednesday, the top rank on the five-step scale of hurricane intensity.
Wilma was briefly stronger than any Atlantic storm on record, including Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in August, and Rita, which hit the Texas-Louisiana coast in September.
State emergency officials warned everyone south of the Tampa-Orlando corridor to prepare for Wilma's wrath.
Stung by criticism over a slow federal response to Katrina, the Bush administration said it was working with Florida officials to ensure "seamless coordination" in preparation for Wilma.
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