MIAMI -- The Florida Keys ordered an evacuation of tourists and other nonresidents Thursday as a strengthening Hurricane Dennis stormed through the Caribbean on a course that forecasters said might bring it to the state by the weekend.
Monroe County officials ordered that visitors begin leaving the low-lying Keys at noon and ordered the evacuation of mobile home residents beginning at 6 p.m. The Keys were under a hurricane watch, which means winds of at least 74 mph and storm surges are possible by late Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. A tropical storm watch was in effect for the southern tip of the Florida peninsula, including Miami and Naples.

Forecasters said that although they still couldn't tell where Dennis and its 110-mph winds would hit the U.S., residents on the Gulf of Mexico from Louisiana to Florida should be watching the storm.

"The central and east Gulf coasts are the most threatened," said Eric Blake, a meteorologist at the center. "This is the time to take a little bit of action to get some of the rudimentary hurricane supplies."

The skies in the Keys were still sunny and clear Thursday, but people were already preparing for Dennis. Four hurricanes struck Florida last year. Although none hit the Keys, the island chain was evacuated three times, causing the loss of at least $50 million in visitor-related sales.

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