Hurricane Ian Could Be The Worst Storm To Hit Florida In A Century

Updated at 11:55 p.m.

FLORIDA — Bands of wind and rain continue to batter the west coast and central Florida even as Hurricane Ian moves toward Orlando, downing power lines and cell phone towers, as well as cutting electricity to over 2 million residents. The storm — which is now a Category 1 with 90 mph winds — made landfall near Cayo Costa, about 20 miles south of Fort Myers, Wednesday afternoon.

There are 2,120,777 Florida homes and businesses without power and that number keeps climbing. Police have been pulled off the streets in some cities because of the danger, and warnings continue for life-threatening storm surge and bridges have been closed, including the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

• Stay up-to-date by viewing all Hurricane Ian coverage on Patch here.

At 11 p.m. Hurricane Ian was producing 90 mph winds and located about 70 miles south of Orlando, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The center of Ian is expected to move across central Florida overnight and Thursday morning and emerge over the western Atlantic by late Thursday. Ian is forecast to turn northward on Friday and approach the northeastern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina coasts.

Widespread, life-threatening catastrophic flash and urban flooding, with major to record flooding along rivers, will continue across central Florida. The NHC said widespread flash, urban, and river
flooding is expected across parts of northeast Florida, southeastern Georgia, and eastern South Carolina Thursday through the weekend.

Storm surge remains a key danger, officials said. The combination of storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.

DeSantis Briefs State On Hazards

Major flooding is reported in Sanibel, Fort Myers, and interior parts of the state, Gov. Ron DeSantis said late Wednesday. Lee, Henry and Glades county 911 communications are down and calls are being re-routed.

Most damage so far is from storm surge, which hit 12 feet in some areas and seems to have peaked, the governor said.

DeSantis said only hurricanes Andrew and Michael have been stronger. Ian will likely rank as one of the top five hurricanes to ever hit Florida.

As the storm churns across the state it remains "very hazardous, very ominous," DeSantis said. “Please make sure you’re taking the proper precautions.”

Major flooding is expected in northeast Florida, along St. John’s River, with some evacuation orders issued in that area.

One-hundred portable cell phone towers ready to be deployed in Southwest Florida once it’s safe.

Related:

• Storm Scenes: Voices Of Fear, Hope As Ian Lashes Florida
• 'Terrifying' Ian Makes Landfall As Category 4 Hurricane
• Ian Threatens Florida's Already Unstable Insurance Market

In Port Charlotte, residents who hunkered down in their homes are reporting ominous roaring sounds caused by the hurricane-force winds. They're also seeing fallen trees, loose debris flying around and flooded roads, said forecasters.

The NHC said it has received reports from Fort Myers Beach of storm surge that's more than a story high, inundating homes along the beach.

DeSantis said the storm will make history as one of the worst to hit the state.

"It seems like over the last 12 to 24 hours whenever you look at this storm it’s just been bad news, it gets stronger, it gets larger," DeSantis said at an afternoon news conference. "This is a really, really significant storm. It will be one of the storms people always remember when they think about southwest Florida. It will probably be the big one they remember."

Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, urged residents not to become complacent if the weather suddenly calms. That could mean they are in the eye and still in danger.

"As the eye wall starts to come on shore, if everything stops, the storm is not over. Stay inside stay indoors; do not go outside. You do not know when that eye wall will collapse," Guthrie said.

Related: Photos: Hurricane Ian Makes Landfall As Floridians Brace For Damage

Latest NHC Forecast

Hurricane Ian had begun meandering northwest across Florida to the Atlantic Ocean at 9 mph.

The NHC said the track is still uncertain. Nevertheless, Polk and Orange counties are preparing for the worst. They've activated storm shelters, something the counties hadn't anticipated having to do. In fact, hotels in Polk and Orange counties are at maximum capacity because they're filled with west coast residents who fled to Central Florida to escape the hurricane.

Polk and Orange counties should expect strong winds, possibly from 85 to 120 mph, heavy rains and dangerous flooding, forecasters said.

Although the NHC's 12-hour forecast shows a slight weakening of the hurricane to a Category 2 as it crosses the state, forecasters said Central Florida said the storm-force winds could flatten mobile homes, trailers and recreational vehicles.

Hurricane Ian's winds extend 40 miles from the eye and destructive winds continue to be a concern.

A rare extreme wind warning was issued by the National Weather Service for southwestern Charlotte County and south central Sarasota County until 2 p.m. because of extreme winds associated with the eyewall of Hurricane Ian, warning residents, “This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation.”

According to the National Weather Service, an extreme wind warning is issued when sustained surface winds from a tropical cyclone reach 115 mph or higher or are expected.

Due to the strong winds, the Florida Highway Patrol closed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge Wednesday morning and may close the Howard Frankland Bridge and Courtney Campbell Causeway.

Gusts of 127 mph were reported at St. Pete/Clearwater International Airport and 60 mph at Tampa International Airport.

Communities in Hillsborough and Pasco counties could experience maximum sustained winds of 50 to 55 mph, forecasters said.

While the barrier islands and coastal regions were under mandatory evacuations, not everyone left those areas. DeSantis said it's unclear how many residents remained in their homes.

"Local officials were not going to grab them by the shirt collar and drag them out of their own house," he said.

Nevertheless, DeSantis said he made sure that the most vulnerable residents were evacuated. About 350 patients were evacuated from 15 hospitals and 150 medical facilities.

Additionally, 91 assisted living facilities evacuated 3,012 residents and 40 nursing homes relocated 3,508 residents ahead of the storm.

Related:

• Sunshine Skyway Bridge Closed Because Of Hurricane Ian's Winds: FHP
• Hurricane Ian: Full List Of Florida Evacuation Orders By County
• Disney World, Busch Gardens, Universal Close Ahead Of Hurricane Ian
• When Power Goes Down, Volunteer Amateur Radio Operators Step Up
• Hurricane Ian: Price Gougers Could Face Civil Fines, Criminal Penalties

Theme parks across Florida closed ahead of Hurricane Ian's arrival. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay shut down first, and was quickly followed by Universal Orlando, Walt Disney World, SeaWorld Orlando and LEGOLAND.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody expanded Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline as Hurricane Ian approached, allowing residents statewide to report instances of severe price increases on essential commodities needed to prepare for the storm.

“This is going to be a nasty, nasty day, two days,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said early Wednesday. He urged people to stay put until first responders have ensured there are no dangers, such as downed power lines or flooded roads, that could pose a threat.

Related:

• How To Prepare Your Home, Family For Tropical Storm Ian
• Tropical Storm Ian: How To Prepare For Power Outages

If people want to donate to cleanup efforts, they can go to the Florida Disaster Fund: www.FloridaDisaster.org.

And those who want to volunteer to help with storm cleanup should sign up at www.volunteerFlorida.org.

This increased tropical storm activity in the Atlantic comes after a relatively inactive August. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, and September through November are typically the most active months.

Forecasters at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center predicted an active hurricane center earlier this year. Forecasters said the ongoing La Niña, in addition to above-average ocean temperatures, signals a 65 percent chance the 2022 hurricane season will be above normal.

They predicted 14 to 21 named storms with winds of 39 mph or higher. Of those, anywhere from six to 10 of the storms could become hurricanes, with winds of 74 mph or higher.

Forecasters predicted this year's season will spawn anywhere from three to six major hurricanes rated a category 3 or higher during the season's most active months — September to November.