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Ian Approaches Florida with Winds of 155 MPH

Ian se acerca a Florida con vientos de 155 millas/hora

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Hurricane Ian strengthened with winds of 155 miles per hour (250 kilometers/hour), corresponding to category 4 (of 5), and is approaching the west coast of Florida at a speed of 9 miles (15 kilometers), which will slow down before making landfall.

In a special bulletin issued at 07.00 hours (11.00 GMT), the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that the hurricane is about 65 miles (100 km) south-southwest of Punta Gorda, in southwest Florida.

On the track chart, the impact zone is located farther north in Tampa Bay.

The dangerous storm surge that Ian will produce in its path may raise sea levels up to a maximum of 16 feet (4.8 meters) in some area along Florida’s west coast.

The fourth hurricane of 2022 in the Atlantic basin formed last weekend in the central Caribbean, passing through Jamaica, Cayman Islands and Cuba before entering the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday.

In western Cuba it left extensive damage, but also a breakdown in the electrical system attributed by the authorities to the passage of Ian has left Cuba completely without electricity.

The NHC special bulletin includes a long list of hurricane, storm surge, and tropical storm warnings and watches covering much of Florida, including the East Coast, as well as parts of the Bahamas.

The area with the most severe warnings includes Dry Tortugas Key in the western Florida Keys with no permanent population, and an area along the west coast from Chokoloskee to the Anclote River, including Tampa Bay.

That is where Ian is expected to make landfall within several hours with “catastrophic” Category 4 winds, according to the NHC.

Winds will subside after impact and Ian will change course to the north on Thursday.

That same day in the afternoon it will emerge into the Atlantic.

Topping the list of hazards, Ian brings with it is storm surge, which combined with the tide will raise sea levels and inundate normally dry coastal areas.

Expected flooding in the West ranges from a minimum of one foot to 16 feet (305 mm to 4.8 meters).

The NHC also warned of the potential for catastrophic damage from Ian’s winds, especially in the area where it makes landfall.

Currently, hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles (65 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles (280 km).

In addition, it will dump rain across Florida and eastern Georgia, and coastal South Carolina, with a risk of urban flash flooding and rising rivers.

Tornadoes, such as those recorded yesterday in Broward, the county bordering Miami-Dade, and a strong swell in the Gulf of Mexico and currents on the east coast of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina complete the picture of Ian.

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