With Hurricane Irma threatening the state, Comcast announced Wednesday that it has opened its Xfinity WiFi hotspots to non-customers in an effort to help keep residents and emergency workers connected in advance of the storm.

Comcast has more than 137,000 WiFi hotspots across Florida.

"We know it’s critically important for everyone to have a means of communication at their disposal before, during and after a storm with the potential impact of Hurricane Irma," said Amy Smith, senior vice president for Comcast’s Florida Region. "By activating our WiFi hotspot network across the state now before the storm, we increase the chance that more people can stay connected. It’s something we’re proud to do for our communities and our state at a time when we all need to support each other."

Hurricane Irma: Get the latest news and information on the storm

For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, which are located both indoors and outdoors in places such as shopping districts, parks and businesses, visit Xfinity.com/wifi.

Once in range of a hotspot, select the "xfinitywifi" network name in the list of available hotspots and then launch a browser.

Hurricane Irma coverage: Follow The Palm Beach Post’s certified weather reporter, Kim Miller on Twitter

Xfinity internet customers can sign in with their usernames and passwords and they will be automatically connected to Xfinity WiFi hotspots in the future.

Non-Xfinity internet subscribers should visit the "Not an Xfinity Internet Customer" section on the sign-in page to get started. Non-customers will be able to renew their complimentary sessions every 2 hours through September 15.