The storm may slightly weaken before hitting Florida.
Hurricane Ian, the fourth hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic season, strengthened from a tropical storm into a Category 1 hurricane in the early hours of Monday morning , and it's expected to continue intensifying into at least a Category 3 storm as it nears Cuba's western shore, the National Hurricane Center warned . At that point, its maximum sustained winds will exceed 111 mph .
As of 11:00 a.m. ET on Sept. 26, the hurricane's maximum sustained winds hovered around 80 mph , the NHC reported . Hurricane Ian is expected to drop 3 to 6 inches of rain on the Cayman Islands, with some areas getting up to 8 inches . Western Cuba will get about 6 to 10 inches of rain, with some areas getting up to 16 inches .
There's still uncertainty as to exactly where Ian will make landfall on the west coast of Florida, as current models project that the storm could come ashore south of Tampa Bay, in the middle of the Panhandle, or at some location in between, The Miami Herald reported on Monday morning.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ian strengthens to hurricane as it churns toward FloridaIan was upgraded to hurricane status as it intensifies on its way to Cuba before potentially becoming the first significant hurricane to hit Florida since 2018.
Read more »
Hurricane Ian nears Cuba on path to strike Florida as Cat 4Hurricane Ian moved near the Cayman Islands and closer to western Cuba early Monday on a track to hit Florida as a major hurricane this week.
Read more »
Tropical Storm Ian strengthens as it heads to Cuba, FloridaIan is expected to strengthen before moving over western Cuba and toward the west coast of Florida and the Florida Panhandle by the middle of the week.
Read more »