Hurricane IAN News: Hurricane Ian’s “extremely dangerous” eyewall – just shy of Category 5 strength – is moving onshore in southwestern Florida, with the storm poised to inflict “catastrophic” winds, storm surge, and flooding across a large portion of the state, forecasters say
Now at Category 4 with sustained winds of 155 mph, Ian’s center was about 45 miles southwest of Punta Gorda around noon ET and is expected to make landfall, perhaps north of Fort Myers near the Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda areas, by early Wednesday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said.
Much of west-central Florida and inland face disaster: “Historic” storm surge up to 18 feet can vanish coastal homes; rain could cause flooding across much of the state, and crushing winds could flatten homes and stop electricity service for days or weeks.
Storm surge already was rising late Thursday morning – more than 4.5 feet above normal highest tides was recorded before noon in Naples, already higher than the previous record there of 4.02 feet from Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Ian poses several major dangers:-
Storm surge: Some 12 to 18 feet of seawater pushed onto land is forecast Wednesday for the coastal Fort Myers area, from Englewood to Bonita Beach, forecasters said. Only slightly less is forecast for a stretch from Bonita Beach down to near the Everglades (8 to 12 feet), and from near Bradenton to Englewood (6 to 10 feet), forecasters said.
Lower – but still life-threatening – surge is possible elsewhere, including north of Tampa and along Florida’s northeast coast near Jacksonville.
• Winds: Southwest Florida is facing “catastrophic wind damage.” Winds near the core of Hurricane Ian could exceed 150 mph, with gusts up to 190 mph, the hurricane center said.
Ian is expected to retain hurricane strength for some time as it crosses the peninsula, with hurricane warnings issued for not only southwest Florida but also much of central Florida from coast to coast.
• Flooding rain: 12 to 24 inches of rain could fall in central and northeastern Florida – including Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville. That makes for a top-of-scale risk for flooding rainfall across this area.
After plowing Wednesday into southwest Florida, Ian’s center is expected to move over central Florida through Thursday morning. Heavy rain also is possible in South Florida, as well as eastern Georgia and coastal South Carolina.
After landfall, Ian will crawl over Florida
When the hurricane hits, rising water is expected to move inland from the coastline, bringing life-threatening inundation and flooding to coastal areas.
Millions of people are under a storm surge warning, including the Suwannee River southward to Flamingo, Tampa Bay, and the Dry Tortugas. The warning is also in place on the state’s east coast from the Flagler-Volusia county line to the mouth of the St. Mary’s River and along the St. Johns River.
After landfall, Ian is expected to crawl across the central part of the state Wednesday into Thursday morning, with damaging winds bringing the threat of tornadoes, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Ian is expected to dump at least two to three months’ worth of rainfall by Friday. Central and Northeast Florida is expected to get 12 to 24 inches of rain, while the Florida Keys and South Florida could get 6 to 12 inches, and eastern Georgia and coastal South Carolina could receive 4 to 12 inches.
Hurricane IAN News : Conclusion
Hurricane IAN is one of the strongest and most dangerous disasters Florida is experiencing with 155 mph wind speeds.
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