Hurricane Ian Intensifies as Category 4 Storm on Its Way to Florida

Hurricane Ian will make landfall soon, and it is approaching historic levels of strength. According to a report by CNN, the storm reached Category 4 wind speeds in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and near its eyewall, the winds are nearly at the threshold for Category 5. It is expected to bring wind, severe rain and storm surges to the gulf coast.

The National Hurricane Center warns that Hurricane Ian is "extremely dangerous" and will likely bring "catastrophic" floods to a large portion of Florida. With sustained wind speeds of 155 miles per hour, the storm officially qualified as a Category 4, but that's not so far from the Category 5 threshold of 157 miles per hour. The storm has already ravaged The Cayman Islands and Cuba, knocking out power to all of Cuba and leaving two people dead. Starting on Wednesday it will be the first hurricane in about a century to hit the gulf coast of Florida rather than the Atlantic coast.

At the time of this writing, the latest model suggests that Hurricane Ian will make landfall on Wednesday afternoon – likely just north of Fort Myers. It may impact Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda directly. It is currently northwest of Naples, Florida, about 45 miles from the coast and moving at about nine miles per hour.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis officially declared a state of emergency, and on Tuesday some local officials began ordering mandatory evacuations. This included towns in the Tampa area, but by Wednesday they warned that it was likely too late to evacuate. In a press conference on Wednesday morning, DeSantis instead offered his best advice for sheltering in place.

"It's no longer possible to safely evacuate," the governor warned around 8 a.m. ET. "It's time to hunker down and prepare for this storm. This is a powerful storm that should be treated like you would treat [a tornado]."

Some communities have established communal shelters on higher ground or in buildings sturdier than the average home, however, these have specific rules associated with them. Some are reserved for the elderly or disabled, and Floridians are asked to consider their options carefully.

Hurricane Ian is already impacting much of Florida, and it is expected to make landfall in earnest on Wednesday afternoon. The latest meteorological updates can be found on the National Hurricane Center's website, while local governments are issuing specific advisories directly.