As a potential hurricane named Ian was moving near the state of Florida late Sunday, tropical storm and storm surge watches were issued for a portion of the coastline. At 11 pm ET, Ian was in a tropical storm in the Caribbean Sea with top sustained winds of 65 mph. Still, the National Hurricane Center said it “continues to strengthen” and is expected to intensify into a hurricane on Monday.
The storm is anticipated to develop into a hurricane early on Monday and then become a major hurricane, or a Category 3 or more robust, on Tuesday, according to the report. According to the forecast service, it might come close to Florida’s southwest and western shores on Tuesday and Wednesday.
A tropical storm watch was issued late on Sunday for a section of the Florida coast that includes Fort Myers. Watches for storm surges were also issued. Jamie Rhome, the interim director of the National Storm Center, stated at a briefing earlier on Sunday that Ian would be a sizable and powerful hurricane in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and would have an extensive impact on the Florida peninsula.
Before that, it will pass close to or over western Cuba on Monday night and Tuesday and likely have “severe wind and storm surge consequences,” according to the hurricane center. According to the hurricane center, the storm’s core was about 140 miles south of Grand Cayman at 11 pm ET Sunday and was moving northwest at 13 mph.
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According to the governor’s office, the Florida National Guard activated 2,500 personnel and started setting up along the coast on Sunday. Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency, and President Joe Biden has authorized an emergency declaration allowing for federal assistance. Make your plans right away, DeSantis advised on Sunday. He urged locals to prepare for gasoline shortages and power outages.
The Florida Keys, including Dry Tortugas, were under tropical storm warnings from Seven Mile Bridge to Key West, according to the hurricane center. The coast of western Florida, from Englewood to Chokoloskee, was under a tropical storm watch. From Englewood to the Card Sound Bridge and the Florida Keys, storm surge warnings were in effect for Florida.
The Grand Cayman administration predicted that tropical-storm-force winds would begin to hit the island at 4 am local time (5 am ET). In anticipation of the situation worsening, residents were encouraged to halt driving on the roadways beginning Sunday night.
According to the National Hurricane Center in the United States, hurricane warnings have been issued for Grand Cayman and the Cuban provinces of Isla de la Juventud, Pinar del Ro, and Artemisa. The Cuban provinces of La Habana, Mayabeque, and Matanzas were under tropical storm warnings, and Little Cayman and Cayman Brac were under a tropical storm watch.
Florida residents were advised to consider the storm’s center’s path. According to Rhome of the National Hurricane Center, the storm surge could affect Florida’s western coast. He said that it doesn’t require an onshore or direct hurricane hit to cause the water to build up.
The American agency forecast an overall rainfall of 8 inches for Jamaica. According to the forecast, western Cuba could receive 6 to 10 inches of rain, with some regions receiving up to 16 inches, and the Cayman Islands might receive up to 8 inches of rain.
