A Florida sheriff has pleaded with citizens not to shoot at Hurricane Irma, saying they “won’t turn it around”.

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office warned that shooting weapons at the most dangerous Atlantic hurricane to hit the US since records began “will have very dangerous side effects”.

As many as 53,000 people said they were interested in a Facebook event called “Shoot At Hurricane Irma”, and 25,000 people said they would participate on Saturday evening.

It was set up by 22-year-old Ryon Edwards.

A description of the event read: “YO SO THIS GOOFY LOOKING WINDY HEADA** NAMED IRMA SAID THEY PULLING UP ON US, LETS SHOW IRMA THAT WE SHOOT FIRST”.

The Sheriff's office tweeted on Saturday evening: "To clarify, DO NOT shoot weapons @ #Irma. You won't make it turn around & it will have very dangerous side effects."

Mr Edwards told the BBC he created the event out of boredom and stress, and was surprised by the reaction.

Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Show all 8 1 /8 Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Jennifer Nelson, senior keeper at Zoo Miami, leads a cheetah named Koda to a hurricane resistant structure within the zoo, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017 in Miami. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Ryan Martinez, a trainer at Zoo Miami, places an Eurasion Eagle Owl into a crate AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Flamingos at Zoo Miami, are shown in a temporary enclosure in a hurricane resistant structure within the zoo, (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Brown pelicans and an American white pelican take refuge in a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma at the zoo in Miami REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami An African crested porcupine is moved into a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma at the zoo in Miami, Florida, REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami A macaw parrot looks out of it's cage after being put into a shelter REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami An African grey parrot is moved into a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Cheetahs are photographed in a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma at the zoo in Miami, Florida, REUTERS/Adrees Latif

“The response is a complete and total surprise to me,” he said.

“I never envisioned this event becoming some kind of crazy idea larger than myself. It has become something a little out of my control.”

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Graphics appeared online, suggesting how people could “fire correctly” at the hurricane to ensure the bullets did not come back and kill you.

Several other events quickly appeared on Facebook to combat the storm, including scaring it with flamethrowers, “Spinning your arms really fast to push away Hurricane Irma” and “Destroy Hurricane Irma By Cooling The Atlantic With Ice Cubes”.

The Category 5 storm ripped through the Caribbean, causing devastation to the islands and killing at least 24 people, before moving west to the US.

Six million people were asked to evacuate the Sunshine State.

Diagram being shared showing people how to shoot the hurricane (screen grab)