Hurricane Ian an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm packing sustained winds of 155 mph

Hurricane Ian grew into an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm packing sustained winds of 155 mph early Wednesday, just hours before it was expected to make landfall on Florida’s southwest coast. About 2.5 million people were under mandatory evacuation orders as the hurricane started lashing the Florida peninsula with heavy rain and tropical-storm-force winds in the early hours.

BULLETIN
Hurricane Ian Intermediate Advisory Number 23A
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL       AL092022
800 AM EDT Wed Sep 28 2022

...IAN EXPECTED TO CAUSE CATASTROPHIC STORM SURGE, WINDS, AND 
FLOODING IN THE FLORIDA PENINSULA STARTING LATER TODAY.

Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg were among the cities bracing for the worst of the storm, but the latest forecasts suggested Ian would make landfall slightly further south, with the Ft. Myers region at risk of a possible direct hit. Given the size and strength of the hurricane and the storm surge it’s expected to drive into coastal areas, officials were clear that much of Florida remained at risk.

SUMMARY OF 800 AM EDT...1200 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...26.0N 82.7W
ABOUT 55 MI...90 KM W OF NAPLES FLORIDA
ABOUT 60 MI...100 KM SW OF PUNTA GORDA FLORIDA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...155 MPH...250 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NNE OR 15 DEGREES AT 10 MPH...17 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...937 MB...27.67 INCHES

Life-threatening impacts are expected and power outages will occur, according to officials.

What does 9 feet of storm surge look like? We show you like nobody else can. This was the forecast storm surge for the Carolina coast as Hurricane Florence was approaching.