FEMA chief says Irma path is 'worst-case scenario' for Florida Keys

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new path forged by Hurricane Irma posed a severe threat to Florida's west coast and the Florida Keys, the head of the U.S. federal emergency agency said on Sunday, and the storm was bringing tornado watches and warnings around the state.

"This is a worst case scenario for Monroe County, the Florida Keys and the west coast of Florida," Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told the "Fox News Sunday" programme.

"Any time you're in that northeast quadrant as the storm is moving forward, that's where the maximum radius winds are that define the intensity of the storm," he said. "That's where the storm surge is most prevalent and the inland winds are going to be tough."

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)