Hurricane Ian’s eyewall roars ashore as Floridians brace themselves for torrential rain, flooding
Hurricane Ian loomed over Florida Wednesday afternoon, walloping the Sunshine State with torrential rain and fierce winds as it roared across the coastline.
The storm’s eyewall was “moving onshore” at Sanibel and Captiva islands and is forecast to make landfall Wednesday afternoon before trudging across central Florida late Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center. It’s expected to slow down as it hits land, dragging out impacts to western and central parts of the Florida Peninsula.
“Ian will cause catastrophic storm surge, winds and flooding in the Florida peninsula soon,” the agency warned in its latest update.
As of 2 p.m., the hurricane was located at about 25 miles away from Fort Myers and crawling toward the coast at a speed of 9 mph.
A pickup truck drives around fallen debris and palm trees in the Ybor City neighborhood ahead of Hurricane Ian making landfall on September 28, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (BRYAN R. SMITH/)
Fueled by the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters, slow-moving Ian strengthened overnight to a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. That’s just shy of the most dangerous Category 5 status, which boasts gusts topping 157 mph, according to the NHC.
“This is going to be a nasty, nasty day, two days,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said early Wednesday. “This is going to be a rough stretch.”
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Some residents started feeling the impacts of the storm as early as Tuesday night, with rain from Ian’s outer bands and tropical storm-strength winds striking parts of the coast. Major flooding has already been reported in Key West due to storm surge, along with power outages, while at least two possible tornadoes were reported in Broward County.
The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Key West said crews have already rescued seven people seeking help before Hurricane Ian’s arrival.
Wind and rain pick up in the Ybor City neighborhood ahead of Hurricane Ian making landfall on September 28, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (BRYAN R. SMITH/)
A hurricane warning was in effect for parts of Florida’s West Coast as well as inland, including Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fort Myers and Orlando.
Meteorologists said conditions across the state are expected to deteriorate throughout the day Wednesday. By early afternoon, hurricane-force winds spread inland, across central Florida, where thunderstorms and flooding are also forecast.
Florida Power and Light warned those in Ian’s path to brace for days without electricity. Already, more than 470,000 customers were without power due to Hurricane Ian, according to PowerOutage.us.
What’s more, rain totals are forecast to fall somewhere between 12 and 24 inches around Tampa and west-central Florida through Thursday night.
“This is going to be a storm we talk about for many years to come,” warned Ken Graham, the director of the National Weather Service. “It’s a dangerous, life-threatening storm surge.”
General view of St. Pete Beach bay as strong winds from Hurricane Ian arrive on September 28, 2022 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Ian is hitting the area as a Category 4 hurricane. (Gerardo Mora/)
A storm surge warning was in effect for the majority of Florida’s west coast, from Suwanee in the Big Bend region to the peninsula’s tip in the Everglades.
As much as 8 to 12 feet of storm surge was predicted for large swaths of the coast, from just south of Bradenton down to Bonita Beach south of Fort Myers. The hurricane center further warned that the area between Naples and Sarasota faces the highest threat of dangerous storm surge, with more than 2.5 million people advised to flee.
Storm surge warnings have also been issued for the Georgia and South Carolina coasts on the Atlantic side.
In anticipation of the hurricane, President Joe Biden directed the heads of federal agencies across the U.S. government to “surge all available resources” to Florida’s highest-risk regions. As of Wednesday, more than 1,300 federal response workers were in the Sunshine State, ready to assist in emergency preparations, “including operations, planning, power restoration, debris removal, and urban search and rescue,” the White House said in statement.
Local resident Mark Seger walks at the bay of St. Pete Beach as the winds from Hurricane Ian arrive on September 28, 2022 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Ian is hitting the area as a Category 4 hurricane. (Gerardo Mora/)
A collection of generators were sent to the state while at least 110,000 gallons of fuel and 18,000 pounds of propane are also ready for immediate deployment.
Hurricane Ian knocks out Cuba’s power grid, leaving 11 million without electricity
Airports in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Key West closed. Disney World theme parks and Sea World in Orlando also closed their doors ahead of Ian’s arrival.
Hurricane Ian ripped across Cuba on Tuesday as a Category 3 storm during its slow march to Florida. It made landfall in Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province and knocked out power across the country.
With News Wire Services
