Florida nervously awaits this Wednesday the arrival of powerful Hurricane Ian, which is “rapidly intensifying” after devastating Cuba, where it left two dead and a widespread blackout, and which could have “catastrophic” consequences, the United States meteorological services said.
Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson 5 scale, Ian is expected to cause “catastrophic storm surge, gale force winds and flooding across the Florida panhandle,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest bulletin.
(Also read: Hurricane Ian, close to reaching category 5 as it approaches the Florida coast)
According to the Miami-based NHC, on the forecast track the center of Ian is expected to pass west of the Florida Keys well into tonight, approaching the west coast of Florida within the hurricane warning area on Wednesday.
“Ian is forecast to approach the west coast of Florida as an extremely dangerous large hurricane,” the observatory said.
NHC warnings and watches extend to different areas of Florida.
Georgia and South Carolina, where Ian or what is left of him will transit into the Atlantic after passing Florida, and may be under tropical storm conditions beginning Thursday.
The NHC warned of dangerous storm surges that combined with the tide can flood normally dry coastal areas.
(Also: Hurricane Ian strengthens and reaches category 4, ‘extremely dangerous’)
threatened areas
According to the bulletin of the National Hurricane Center, the areas under alert are:
Hurricane Warning in effect for:
-Chokoloskee to the Anclote River, including Tampa Bay.
-Dry Turtles.
Storm surge warning for:
-Suwannee River south to Flamingo.
-Tampa Bay.
-Lower Florida Keys, from Big Pine Key west to Key West.
-Dry Turtles.
-Flagler/Volusia Line to the mouth of the St. Mary’s River.
-St. Johns River.
(You can read: Hurricane Ian leaves “considerable damage” in Cuba and now threatens Florida)
Tropical storm warning for:
-All Florida Keys.
-Indian Pass to the Anclote River.
-Flamingo to the South Santee River.
-Flamingo to Chokoloskee.
-Lake Okeechobee.
-Florida Bay.
-Bimini and Grand Bahama Islands.
Storm surge watch in:
-Florida Keys from Card Sound Bridge west to east of Big
Pine Key.
-Florida Bay.
-Mouth of the St. Mary’s River to the South River.
Rainfall of between 300 and 450mm is expected in the central and northeast of the peninsula, and up to 600mm in some places, the NHC said.
“It’s a big storm,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told a news conference Wednesday, warning Ian could make landfall as a Category 5 hurricane.
“Clearly, this is a very powerful hurricane that will have far-reaching consequences,” he said.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP
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