Hurricane Ian makes landfall in Florida
“Catastrophic” storm surge forecast in parts of Southwest Florida
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Major Hurricane Ian made landfall as a strong Category 4 along the southwest coast of Florida near Cayo Costa at 3:05 pm EDT. Maximum sustained wind was estimated near 150 mph, seven miles per hour short of a Category 5.
The National Weather Service in Miami issued the following update at 2:10 PM CDT Wednesday.
...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE IAN MAKES LANDFALL IN
SOUTHWESTERN FLORIDA...
NOAA DOPPLER RADAR IMAGERY INDICATES THAT THE EYE OF IAN MADE LANDFALL ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN COAST OF FLORIDA NEAR CAYO COSTA AROUND 305 PM EDT (1905 UTC). DATA FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT IAN’S MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE NEAR 150 MPH (240 KM/H). THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE ESTIMATED FROM RECONNAISSANCE DATA IS 940 MB.
Life-threatening storm surge continues to threaten the Gulf Coast of Florida. Surge heights are expected to grow up to 18 feet in Fort Myers. Catastrophic flooding is present across the city, already destroying buildings and sweeping away large vehicles. The storm is moving slowly (NNE at 9 mph) onto the state of Florida, allowing for secondary flooding concerns from heavy rainfall. The following images show conditions as of Wednesday morning:
The situation is dire and will continue to last throughout the night. Ian is forecasted to travel back over the Atlantic Ocean and turn towards the Carolinas. The storm could make a secondary landfall as a tropical storm Friday Night.
Copyright 2022 KBTX. All rights reserved.
