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Track of Hurricane Ian
Ian could pack wind gusts of 35 mph to 40 mph, enough to topple trees in ground weakened by the expected tropical storm’s 4 inches to 6 inches of rain this weekend. This is the latest information on the storm.
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The Charlotte area is under a tropical storm warning and Ian is expected to dump a deluge of heavy rain that could bring down trees on Friday.
Bands of rain are expected to reach the Charlotte area hours before the center of the storm is expected to cross near the city, a National Weather Service meteorologist said Thursday.
The Myrtle Beach area is expected to see the impact of Hurricane Ian through Friday, with forecasters predicting rain, strong winds and flooding. NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
Ian could pack winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts of 60 mph, strong enough to damage “porches, awnings, decks, decks and unanchored mobile homes,” according to the tropical storm warning issued at 11:17 a.m. Thursday by the NWS. office in Greer, South Carolina.
Counties under the advisory are Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Catawba, Chester, Davie, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan and Union and, in South Carolina, York County.
According to the warning, gusts could snap “many large tree branches” and uproot shallowly planted trees.
Even more deeply rooted trees are likely to be toppled during Ian because of soil weakened by the 4 inches to 6 inches of rain expected from the storm this weekend, Andrew Kimball of the NWS Greer office told The Charlotte Observer at 6:30 a.m. Thursday.
Hurricane Ian and its remnants are expected to bring heavy rain to the Southeast, including the Carolinas, on Friday, September 29, 2022 and Saturday. National Hurricane Center
Trees falling on power lines could cause outages, but flooding remains the main concern and people should stay off roadways, Charlotte-Mecklenburg emergency management officials warned Thursday.
The former Category 4 hurricane’s center was expected to move off the east-central Florida coast later Thursday.
Ian is expected to become a hurricane again before the storm makes landfall on the South Carolina coast on Friday, “with rapid weakening forecast after landfall,” according to a National Hurricane Center bulletin at 11 am on Thursday.
The center of the storm is expected to move inland across the Carolinas Friday night and Saturday, National Hurricane Center officials said.
By 5 a.m. Thursday, Ian’s former 155 mph winds had dropped to 65 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Kimball said the center of Ian could make landfall from Savannah, Georgia, to northeast Charleston, given its wide projected path cone.
The center of the storm is expected to reach Charlotte at about 2 or 3 a.m. Saturday, Kimball said.
The concern for Charlotte is Ian’s bands of heavy rain expected Friday afternoon and evening, he said.
Expect flooding, he said. “Four inches of rain is a lot in such a short period of time,” he said.
Ian is expected to weaken to tropical depression status or less by its arrival in the Charlotte area, Kimball said, but the expected rain and gusty winds still pose concerns, including flooding and power outages . Tropical depressions bring winds of less than 39 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
In a weather bulletin shortly before 5:30 a.m. Thursday, the NWS Greer office said “widespread moderate to heavy rain and northeast winds are expected Friday through Saturday” in the Charlotte region , the mountains of North Carolina and the state of South Carolina.
“There is still some uncertainty about the exact track and timing of this system,” according to the NWS bulletin. “Continue to monitor the forecast for updates throughout the week.”
Damaged homes and debris are seen after Hurricane Ian, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Fort Myers, Fla. Wilfredo Lee AP
where is ian
At 11 a.m. Thursday, the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for the entire South Carolina coast.
A tropical storm warning or tropical storm watch is also in effect for much of coastal North Carolina, McClatchy News reported. A flood warning for coastal North Carolina begins at 2 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm has left 2.5 million people without power in Southwest Florida, The Associated Press reported. According to AP, a piece of Sanibel’s causeway fell into the sea, cutting off access to the barrier island where 6,300 people normally live.
Ian hit the southwest coast of Florida early Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 mph.
An aerial photo shows damaged boats and debris piled up along the coast after Hurricane Ian, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Fort Myers, Fla. Wilfredo Lee AP
As of 8 a.m. Thursday, Ian caused “catastrophic flooding” in east-central Florida, National Hurricane Center officials said.
By 11 a.m. Thursday, Ian had sustained winds of 70 mph moving at about 9 mph about 25 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral, Fla., and about 285 miles south of Charleston, according to the National Hurricane Center .
The storm could produce “life-threatening flooding, storm surge and strong winds” in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. bulletin Thursday.
CLT airport delays, cancellations
At least 126 flights were canceled between Charlotte Douglas International Airport and airports in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina as of 1 p.m. Thursday, according to FlightAware.com, a flight tracking site. Nearly 70 flights between CLT and Florida destinations scheduled for Friday have been canceled.
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and other airlines are allowing passengers to rebook without change fees if their flights are affected by Hurricane Ian.
American, which has a hub in Charlotte, issued a travel alert for 20 airports in the western Caribbean and Florida on Monday, allowing bookings unchanged.
American is the dominant airline at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Southwest and United also issued travel waivers for many Florida-bound passengers.
Anyone heading to CLT Airport should allow extra time to drop off or pick up passengers. The airport closed its upper level roadway for two weeks Tuesday night so crews could begin work on a new canopy.
Drivers should expect to see security fences and signs directing them to the lower level for arrivals and departures, the Observer previously reported.
Charlotte’s prognosis
Charlotte has an 80 percent chance of showers starting after 11 a.m. Friday and continuing through Saturday afternoon, according to the NWS forecast at noon Thursday. Saturday night and early Sunday there is a 40% chance of showers and Sunday morning and afternoon a 50% chance of rain, according to the forecast.
The chance of showers increases again to 60 percent Sunday afternoon and early Monday before dropping to 40 percent the rest of Monday, according to the forecast. According to the NWS Greer office, Tuesday and Wednesday should be all sunshine.
Highs are expected to drop from 70 on Thursday to 60 on Friday, then climb to 65 on Saturday and 66 on Sunday, according to the forecast. According to the NWS Greer office, Monday’s high is expected to drop to 62 before Tuesday’s high could jump to 66 and Wednesday’s high to 72.
This is a developing story.
We continue to urge all Mecklenburg County residents to prepare. Have an emergency kit, a family communications plan and make sure you can receive emergency alerts. You can sign up for emergency alerts at https://t.co/ANgeqjN1HO
— Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency…