Monster storm grows: Ian now a Cat. 4 hurricane just hours away from slamming into Florida coast. The major emergency now on ABC7
Hurricane Ian strengthened into a powerful Category 4 hurricane on Wednesday morning, hours before it was expected to make landfall along Florida's Gulf Coast.Landfall is expected between afternoon and early evening in the area near Port Charlotte and Sarasota, though the hurricane's track, timing and intensity may change.Ian could potentially make landfall as a Category 5 hurricane.Ian is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday afternoon or early evening.
"This is a powerful storm that should be treated like you would treat a tornado approaching your home," he said. "This one has just strengthened and strengthened, and it is the real deal. So, it is going to do a lot of damage, so people should be prepared for that."Twenty-six states, including New York and New Jersey, have sent support to Florida, he said.Hurricane Ian approached Category 5 status at about 6:30 a.m. ET, with its winds topping out at 155 mph.
Only four hurricanes have ever made landfall in the continental U.S. with winds over 155 mph: Labor Day in 1935 with 185 mph winds; Camille in 1969 with 175 mph winds; Andrew in 1992 with 165 mph; and Michael in 2018 with 160 mph."Rapidly intensifying Ian forecast to cause catastrophic storm surge, winds, and flooding in the Florida peninsula," the National Hurricane Center said at 7 a.m. ET.Florida's airports are leading the world in flight cancellations Wednesday morning.
There are at least 1,903 flight cancellations within, into, or out of the United States for Wednesday.-Sep 28, 7:36 AM EDT, ABC News' Ahmad HemingwayHurricane Ian, barreling north toward Florida with 120 mph winds, is now located about 230 miles away from Sarasota.Ian's outer bands are already hitting South Florida, bringing a threat of heavy downpours, strong wind gusts, frequent lightning and even tornadoes. A tornado watch is in effect for South Florida until 5 a.m. Wednesday.
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