What is the path of Hurricane Ian?

How Florida Will Be Affected by Hurricane Ian

The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest update at 5:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday that Ian is expected to slow down in the Gulf of Mexico and increase as he heads to Florida.

Mandatory evacuations of several hundred thousand people have already begun in Florida as residents brace for high winds, flash flooding and isolated tornadoes.

The storm is heading west in the state and toward the area between Fort Myers and Tampa Bay, according to the NHC.

ATTENTION 🌀
The sea retreats in #Tampa the #Huracán #Ian is a huge low pressure whose eye has enormous suction force so the sea retreats from the coast. Caution sign of potential swells.
By Matt Tilman of Bayshore Blvd.#HurricaneIan
Via @CycloforumsPR pic.twitter.com/zPuf7WXazV

— Geol. Sergio Almazán (@chematierra) September 28, 2022

As Ian moves north toward the Florida Keys on Wednesday, it will rain heavily on Lake Okeechobee near West Palm Beach.

"Significant flooding is expected from central Florida to southern Georgia and the South Carolina coast, with prolonged and significant flooding on rivers from central to northern Florida," the agency said.

The major cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg will be affected. No one has been directly affected by a major hurricane since 1921.

Captured this video from space, by NOAA's GOES-16 satellite, shows Hurricane Ian and the eye wall full of lightning.

Taken by NOAA's GOES-16 satellite 09/27/2022 14:25 UTC - 16:12 UTC (10:25 a.:12pm East) over the Gulf of Mexico.

pic.twitter.com/VX2fPpOPqn #hurricane #ian

— Ghost In The Shell (@Ghossintheshell) September 28, 2022

"Please take this storm seriously. It's important. This is not an exercise," Hillsborough County Emergency Management Director Timothy Dudley told Tampa on Monday.

In the Tampa Bay area, a storm surge of up to 3 meters of seawater was forecast with 25 centimeters of rain and up to 38 centimeters in isolated areas, enough water to flood coastal communities.

At a news conference Monday, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis urged the public not to panic as the storm looms and thousands line up to buy bottled water, supplies and sandbags.

Wao! This is Evan Fisher's projection of what could be the #Ian storm surge in the Port Charlotte area. The graphs are made with data from the National Hurricane Center. pic.twitter.com/NLgchcDdLe

— AlexDelgado (@AlexDelgadoPR) September 28, 2022

The governor said the state lifted tolls around Tampa Bay and deployed 5,000 National Guard troops, with another 2,000 waiting in neighboring states.