The National Hurricane Center said Monday that Tropical Ian is strengthening into a hurricane. Ian has grown into one — and warned that it is likely to intensify rapidly when it heads towards Florida.florida cyclone today.
The state of affairs:
Ian — which could develop into a high-end Category-4 storm at any point in midweekIt was 315 miles to the southeast of the western end of Cuba at 5 a.m. ET.
- Its maximum sustained winds been increased to 75 mph after 45 mph on Sunday afternoon According to National Hurricane Center. The term “hurricane” is used when sustained maximum winds exceed the speed of 74 mph..
Information:
A Hurricane Warning was in force in Grand Cayman and several Cuban provinces as the storm moved towards the northwest at 14 mph.
- A hurricane watch was declared across West Coast Florida comprising Tampa Bay.
- An advisory for tropical storms is in effect in the upper Florida Keys, from Seven Mile Bridge westward all the way to Key West to Dry Tortugas and various provinces in Cuba.
- A tropical storm warning was in place for Englewood southwards towards Chokoloskee in Florida and Chokoloskee in Florida, and Caribbean island of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.
The bigger picture:
President Biden declared a national emergency state of emergency in multiple Florida counties last night. Florida Governor. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency across the entire state.
What to look out for:
In its 5am update the National Hurricane Center said Ian was likely to transform into the definition of a “major hurricane” that is, a Cat 3 or moreon Monday night, in the vicinity of Cuba.
- “Storm surges can raise the level of water up to 9-14 feet above normal levels of tides along the western coast of Cuba in areas with onshore winds within the hurricane warning zone Monday night and in the early morning of Tuesday morning,” the agency stated.
- The National Hurricane Center forecast two to four inches of rain in into the Florida Keys into the southern and central Florida Peninsula from Monday through Thursdayflorida cyclone today.
Level of threat:
Studies show an increase in the frequency of rapid acceleration due to human-caused climate changes.
- The Western Caribbean Sea is a powder container for hurricanes at the moment due to high temperatures and weak upper-level winds.
The message they’re trying to convey is:
Even in the event that the coast to the west of Florida does not take a direct strike caused by Ian, “it doesn’t take direct or onshore damage from a hurricane to build up the sea,” acting NHC director Jamie Rhome told the course of a Sunday news conference.
- He also urged Florida residents to check whether they’re in an evacuation zone by visiting FloridaDisaster.org in case evacuations are required.
What’s next?
The most important concerns that are being asked by public officials, forecasters and the tens of millions of people living in the Gulf Coast are where the storm is headed after it is declared one, as well as how powerful it will be when it is there.
- Computer models are diverging with some models showing an impact located in northern Florida or possibly the southeastern part of Alabama. Other models show a strike further east, nearer to Tampa.
- Forecast patterns since Friday have pushed the most likely path from the middle of Ian towards the west, which is closer than Florida’s Panhandle area of Florida.
- While the probability of major impact on South Florida has decreased, it’s not completely gone which is why The Hurricane Center is urging all Floridians to be prepared for impact.florida cyclone today.
Background:
Human-caused climate change has altered the nature of the most powerful storms in nature.
- For instance, sea-level rise due to melting ice sheets can make the surge from a hurricane more destructive.
This story has been updated to reflect the storm’s strength and most recent estimates of when the storm could turn into one.
