Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds above 150 mph, made landfall Wednesday afternoon in southwestern Florida. The storm is expected to cause severe damage as it moves northeast across the state.
National Hurricane Center / Screenshot by NPR
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National Hurricane Center / Screenshot by NPR
Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds above 150 mph, made landfall Wednesday afternoon in southwestern Florida. The storm is expected to cause severe damage as it moves northeast across the state.
National Hurricane Center / Screenshot by NPR
Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida’s Lee County on Wednesday afternoon. Category 4 hurricanes produced winds of 150 mph and storm surges more than 7 feet high in Naples before reaching shore.
The National Hurricane Center forecasts high winds and rain in Ian will cause high tides and severe flooding, leading to catastrophic damage to homes and businesses. Storm surge in Lee and Charlotte counties can reach heights of 18 feet.
305 PM EDT September 28 – Storm #Ian made landfall as an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane near Cayo Costa, Florida with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. The minimum pressure from the Storm Hunters by the Air Force Reconnaissance is 940 mb.
Latest: https://t.co/tnOTyfORCw pic.twitter.com/O3agPDOZHk
– National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 28, 2022
Acting Director of the National Hurricane Center Jamie Rhome said in a advisory that the time to evacuate has long passed. Those remaining in the path of the storm need to crouch in the center of their homes and prepare for the constant destructive winds.
The eye of the storm reached Sanibel and Captiva islands, west of Fort Myers, shortly after noon. One webcams on Fort Meyers Beach shows palm trees bending in the wind as the waves knock around furniture while surfing.
Ian is forecast to continue northeast through Florida. The situation on the ground is likely to get worse before it gets better, as the high tide lasts until 7:06 p.m. Wednesday, which will contribute to the high tide.
The storm is expected to weaken after making landfall, but could be close to hurricane strength as it moves over Florida’s east coast on Thursday. NHC said. Ian will continue north in the direction of Northeast Florida, Georgia and South Carolina on Friday.
Hurricane updates can be found at the National Hurricane Center website here.
