Hurricane Ian moved near the Cayman Islands and closer to western Cuba early Monday on a track to hit Florida as a major hurricane this week.
Ian was expected to rapidly intensify and become a major hurricane as early as late Monday, before becoming an even stronger Category 4 hurricane over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It is expected to hit Florida’s west-central coast on Wednesday.
Cuban authorities suspended classes in Pinar del Rio province and planned evacuations on Monday as Ian gained strength as it approached Grand Cayman and the Cuban provinces of Isla de la Juventud, Pinar del Rio and Artemisa.
“Cuba expects extreme hurricane-force winds, as well as life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall,” U.S. National Hurricane Center Senior Specialist Daniel Brown told The Associated Press early Monday.
The hurricane center said Ian should reach far western Cuba late Monday or early Tuesday, hitting near the country’s famous tobacco fields. Cuba’s state media Granma said authorities will begin evacuating people from vulnerable areas early Monday in Pinar del Río. Classes there have been suspended.
As of 8 a.m. ET Monday, Ian was moving northwest at 14 mph, about 90 miles west-southwest of Grand Cayman, the center said. It had maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h.
Further strengthening likely
Cayman Islands Prime Minister Wayne Panton said in a video released Sunday that members of the government and opposition were working together “to ensure that our people are as safe as possible — the supplies, the plywood , in some cases sandbags, are being distributed so they can safely weather this storm… We must prepare for the worst and absolutely pray and hope for the best.”
The hurricane center said: “Ian is not expected to spend much time west of Cuba, and additional strengthening is likely in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday. Ian is likely to have a expanding wind field and will slow at this time. which will have the potential to produce significant wind and surge impacts on Florida’s west coast.”
A surge of up to 2.4 meters of ocean water and 25 centimeters of rain, with up to 38 centimeters in isolated areas, was forecast in the Tampa Bay area. It is enough water to flood low-lying coastal communities.
Florida residents were gearing up, lining up for hours in Tampa to pick up sandbags and clear bottled water store shelves.
A hurricane watch was issued for Florida’s west-central coast, including the Tampa Bay area, where Hillsborough County suspended classes until Thursday to prepare schools to serve as shelters for evacuees. Brown said additional watches may be issued for areas further north along the west coast of the peninsula.
state of emergency
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency across the state and urged residents to prepare for the storm to hit large areas of the state with heavy rain, high winds and high of the sea
“We’re going to continue to monitor the track of this storm. But it’s really important to emphasize the degree of uncertainty that still exists,” DeSantis said at a news conference Sunday, warning that “even if you’re not necessarily right in the eye of the road of the storm, there will be pretty broad impacts across the state.”
Shoppers browse the shelves of a Walmart Supercenter in Tampa, Florida, for bottled water on Sunday. Hurricane Ian threatens to hit the Tampa Bay area as a major storm later in the week. (Matt Cohen/The Tampa Bay Times/The Associated Press)
Flash and urban flooding is possible in the Florida Keys and Florida Peninsula through mid-week, then heavy rain is possible across North Florida, the Florida Peninsula, and the southeastern United States late this week.
The agency has advised Floridians to have hurricane plans and to monitor updates on the storm’s evolving path.
US President Joe Biden also declared an emergency, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief and provide assistance to protect lives and property. The president postponed a scheduled Sept. 27 trip to Florida because of the storm.
NASA, which had already canceled Tuesday’s launch of its new Artemis rocket, said Monday it will roll the 98-meter rocket back from its launch pad to its hangar starting tonight.
The setback of the Artemis rocket could mean a long delay for its first test flight, possibly pushing it to November.
Due to weather predictions related to Hurricane Ian, teams pic.twitter.com/wwPds84R36
— @NASAArtemis