Ian becomes a hurricane, rapid strengthening expected

26 Sep 2022 / Florida (United States of America), Cayman Islands & Cuba

A Hurricane Watch has been issued along the west coast of Florida from north of Englewood to the Anclote River, including Tampa Bay…

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Grand Cayman and Cuban provinces of Isla de Juventud, Pinar del Rio, and Artemisa.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Cuban provinces of La Habana, Mayabeque, and Matanzas, Lower Florida Keys from Seven Mile Bridge westward to Key West and Dry Tortugas…

At 500 am EDT (0900 UTC), the center of Hurricane Ian was located near latitude 18.2 North, longitude 82.0 West. Ian is moving toward the northwest near 14 mph (22 km/h). A turn toward the north-northwest is expected today followed by a northward motion on Tuesday with a slightly slower forward speed. A turn toward the north-northeast is forecast on Tuesday night or early Wednesday.

On the forecast track, the center of Ian is expected to pass near or west of the Cayman Islands today, and near or over western Cuba tonight and early Tuesday. Ian will then emerge over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, and pass west of the Florida Keys late Tuesday, and approach the west coast of Florida on Wednesday.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 75 mph (120 km/h) with higher gusts. Rapid strengthening is expected during the next day or so, and Ian is forecast to become a major hurricane tonight when it is near western Cuba.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 15 miles (30 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles (150 km)…

…The combination of storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:
* Anclote River to Englewood, FL including Tampa Bay 5-8 ft
* Englewood to Bonita Beach, FL including Charlotte Harbor 4-7 ft
* Bonita Beach to East Cape Sable, FL 3-5 ft
* East Cape Sable to Card Sound Bridge, FL including Florida Bay 2-4 ft
* Florida Keys including the Dry Tortugas 2-4 ft

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the right of the center, where the surge will be accompanied by large waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances...

Storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 9 to 14 feet above normal tide levels along the coast of western Cuba in areas of onshore winds in the hurricane warning area Monday night and early Tuesday.

Storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 2 to 4 feet above normal tide levels along the immediate coast in areas of onshore winds in the Cayman Islands Sunday night into Monday.

Tropical storm and hurricane conditions are expected on Grand Cayman today. Hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area in Cuba tonight, with tropical storm conditions expected by late today.

Tropical storm conditions are expected within the tropical storm warning area in Cuba Monday night and Tuesday. Tropical storm conditions are possible on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac today.

Tropical storm conditions are expected in the warning area in the lower Florida Keys on Tuesday. Tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area along the Florida west coast by Tuesday evening. Hurricane conditions are possible along the Florida West coast within the Hurricane Watch area on Wednesday, with tropical storm conditions possibly beginning by Tuesday night…

(For further details and updates, as well as information about operations in the Americas, contact the GAC Houston Hub Agency Center at [email protected])

Source: National Hurricane Center, Miami FL, Hurricane Ian Advisory No.13 issued at 500am EDT on Monday 26 September 2022

If quoting any content from Hot Port News, please cite GAC Hot Port News as the source.