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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency late Sunday after the National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning for the lower Florida Keys as the storm barrels towards Cuba. A storm surge watch has also been issued for Cuba, the Florida Keys, and parts of western Florida.
DeSantis noted that the path of the hurricane is still uncertain, but that its impacts will likely be broad throughout the state. He urged people to make preparations now as widespread power outages, fuel disruptions, and mandatory evacuations should be expected.
Several models predict that the storm will most impact the Tampa region.
Look at this- the GFS model is showing Hurricane Ian siting off the west coast of Florida for days…
Wed-Fri AM.
Ugh. pic.twitter.com/NpTUCwsEbF
— Eric Burris (@EricBurrisWESH) September 26, 2022
The government of Cuba began to evacuate tourists on Sunday amid expectations of life-threatening storm surges as it turns into a hurricane on Monday.
Ian had begun to strengthen over the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea late on Sunday, as it moved slowly northwestward towards Cuba, with sustained winds of 60 miles per hour, the NHC said.
Ports throughout the western half of Cuba were closed as early as Friday evening, and fishermen called back to harbor ahead of the pending storm, which is expected to bring heavy rainfall.
Cuban officials were monitoring the track of the storm, which had tended slightly eastward than earlier predictions suggested, putting the capital Havana closer to the crosshairs.
The National Hurricane Center said Ian was expected to develop into a major hurricane in the eastern Gulf of Mexico by midweek but noted that “uncertainty in the track and intensity forecasts remain higher than usual.”
#Ian is expected to be a major hurricane in the eastern Gulf of
Mexico during the middle of this week. Regardless of Ian’s exact track, there is a risk of a life-threatening storm surge, hurricane-force winds, & heavy rainfall along the west coast/Panhandle of Florida by mid-week pic.twitter.com/koVmW9yrtJ— National Weather Service (@NWS) September 26, 2022
As of early evening Sunday, Tropical Storm Ian was 430 miles from Cabo San Antonio, Cuba’s westernmost tip.
The center said hurricane warnings had been issued for the Cuban provinces of Isla de Juventud, Pinar del Rio and Artemisa.
“Life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds are expected in portions of western Cuba beginning late Monday,” the NHC said.
Storm Ian is also forecast to produce heavy rainfall, flash flooding and possible mudslides in areas of higher terrain, especially over Jamaica and Cuba.
By mid-week the storm could cause flooding across the Florida Keys and Florida peninsula, NHC added.
Copyright 2022 Thomson/Reuters (Additions and edits for FISM News by Michael Cardinal)