Hurricane Ian batters Florida, becomes a tropical storm
Hurricane Ian now tropical storm, still pounding Florida
Hurricane Ian made landfall near Sanibel Island yesterday, before coming onto the mainland of Florida at Cayo Costa. At landfall at 3:05 p.m. ET (19 UTC) Wednesday, it was an intense Category 4 storm with howling winds of up to 155 miles per hour (249 km/h). A devastating storm surge – up to 18 feet (5 m) in depth – was measured in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda, Florida. People reported widespread power outages, which could last for weeks in the worst-hit areas.
This morning (September 29, 2022), Ian has been downgraded to a tropical storm, and is pounding eastern Florida with rain.
Yesterday, we were seeing news that Ian is “unofficially” the 5th-strongest storm ever to make landfall in the U.S. We’ll see if that news holds true today.
Millions of #Florida residents are without power in the wake of Hurricane #Ian as evident from nighttime imagery from #NOAA20. Some clouds blur remaining lights in the 9/29 image (l) but it's a significant difference compared to 4 nights ago (r). https://t.co/yCNKCKyryx #FLwx pic.twitter.com/H4PH08EAf9
— UW-Madison CIMSS (@UWCIMSS) September 29, 2022
Dear lord. The eye is clearing out. This really is reminiscent of Michael in so many ways. I am just stunned. pic.twitter.com/tHowQNuCRB
— Matthew Cappucci (@MatthewCappucci) September 28, 2022
Unbelievable amount of lightning as Ian approaches landfall. Intensifying right up to the end pic.twitter.com/g1zwRHtOwV
— Peter Forister ????? (@forecaster25) September 28, 2022
Ian’s storm surge
Storm surge rushed into Charlotte Harbor and the Fort Meyers area as Ian’s eyewall raked the region. Incredibly, water came up out of the bays and inlets as high as 18 feet above normal sea level.
Currently in Fort Myers, Florida. Video by Loni Architects #flwx #Ian #hurricane pic.twitter.com/8nfncFlG9G
— Kaitlin Wright (@wxkaitlin) September 28, 2022
I can’t overstate how serious the storm surge threat is in southwest Florida. #Ian will drive deadly surge into Cape Coral and Fort Myers, placing much of the area under water. If you live near the ocean in a surge zone, this is your last chance to leave… pic.twitter.com/FefKkoltd3
— Evan Fisher (@EFisherWX) September 28, 2022
NEW at 10:00am: The peak storm surge forecast from Englewood to Bonita Beach and Charlotte Harbor has increase to **12-18 feet**. Hurricane-force winds are approaching Sanibel Island. #Florida #FLwx #Ian #HurricaneIan #hurricane pic.twitter.com/OzfTT5GLPD
— Beth Carpenter | TDS Weather (@B_Carp01) September 28, 2022
A view of #Naples Grande from @NBC2‘s webcam shows flooding across residential areas as a result of Hurricane #Ian‘s catastrophic storm surge. pic.twitter.com/cD79gONdIF
— Ben Ames (@BenAmesWx) September 28, 2022
Ian’s impact on Florida’s West Coast
Damage reports began coming in Wednesday of Ian’s destruction, including the islands of Sanibel and Captiva being cut off from the mainland.
A section of the Sanibel Causeway has collapsed. It's the only way for vehicles to enter/exit Sanibel & Captiva. #Ian pic.twitter.com/Sfqhf94ju2
— Bryan Bennett (@weatherbryan) September 29, 2022
#BREAKING: Video circulating shows houses FLOATING off their foundations in Fort Myers Beach. Hurricane #Ian. pic.twitter.com/OID6YATFd3
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) September 28, 2022
Likewise, the Weather Channel’s Mike Seidel found himself in the eyewall of the hurricane.
In the eye wall of #Hurricane #Ian in Fort Myers. We're live on @weatherchannel along with @StephanieAbrams and @JimCantore #HurricanIan pic.twitter.com/gSBdmAUjWX
— Mike Seidel (@mikeseidel) September 28, 2022
*RARE* first person view of storm surge. This camera is 6 feet off the ground on Estero Blvd in Fort Myers Beach, FL. Not sure how much longer it keeps working. You’ll see it live only on ?@weatherchannel? #Ian pic.twitter.com/WwHtvgVxjY
— Mike Bettes (@mikebettes) September 28, 2022
Run from the water, hide from the wind. Cars completely submerged.
Storm surge climbing in Naples, #Florida. High tide at 2:50PM ET.
Storm surge 8-12ft with waves on top expected in Naples.
We're live on @weatherchannel @mikebettes @StephanieAbrams @JimCantore @DrRickKnabb. pic.twitter.com/VZBwA4m8Bz
— Scot Pilié (@ScotPilie_Wx) September 28, 2022
The EarthCam live stream out of Englewood, FL 2 minutes before the camera went dead.
This video is from inside the eyewall of #HurricanIan as it moved onshore.
Winds at the nearby Punta Gorda airport peaked at 93 mph just before this steam died.#Ian #Hurricane #Florida pic.twitter.com/TzRVfPsWO4
— Pat Cavlin (@pcavlin) September 28, 2022
Ian was Category 4 storm
A category five hurricane has winds of 157 mph or higher. Ian was, notably, only two mph away from becoming a category five hurricane. In this case, Ian intensified as it moved over a large fuel source, the warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
Reminiscent of a tsunami, #HurricanIan is so strong it is literally sucking water out to sea and exposing the sea floor in Tampa Bay.
?@jordansteele pic.twitter.com/VCFx3sDlO1
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) September 28, 2022
Hurricane Ian moved over a large fuel source on Sept. 27: warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. https://t.co/b9oMCMKbrb
This map shows sea surface temps, above 27.8° C (82.04° F) in red. Water this warm can sustain and intensify hurricanes as thermal energy moves from sea to sky. pic.twitter.com/kU2EDRuX7F
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) September 28, 2022
The storm surge threat has increased since #Ian has intensified and is a larger hurricane. Cape Coral, Captiva, Sanibel could see storm surge of 12-16 ft. Catastrophic setup for these locations. No one should be near the coast as it makes landfall early this afternoon. @WBRCnews pic.twitter.com/ksXGcKzuB9
— Matt Daniel (@mattdanielwx) September 28, 2022
Heart-wrenching to see a devastating hurricane like #Ian bear down on land. If you’re in its path, from along the coast and well inland, please stay safe!
Get the latest on Ian at https://t.co/0YBbXiBHbA pic.twitter.com/UwTK3CRUol
— NWS Director (@NWSDirector) September 28, 2022
Hurricane Ian is a historic storm
On Wednesday, we were hearing that Ian is now unofficially ranked as the 5th-strongest storm ever to make landfall in the United States. Formerly, only four storms have made landfall with winds greater than 155 mph. These include Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and the great Labor Day storm of 1935.
#HurricaneIan has rapidly intensified overnight & now has maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. Only 4 #hurricanes on record have made continental US landfall w/ max winds of 155+ mph:
Labor Day (1935): 185 mph
Camille (1969): 175 mph
Andrew (1992): 165 mph
Michael (2018): 160 mph pic.twitter.com/Z7YGc83Fvo— Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) September 28, 2022
A massive, symmetrical CDO. A warming and clearing eye. And now tons of lightning surrounding about 80% of #Ian’s eyewall. I’m honestly not sure what to say anymore. pic.twitter.com/rUdk7b9i99
— Nikhil Trivedi (@DCAreaWx) September 28, 2022
Bottom line: Hurricane Ian made landfall on Sanibel Island, Florida, on the afternoon of September 28, 2022, leaving millions without power.
Read more: What is a hurricane storm surge?
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