Hurricane Ian’s rain and winds lashed Cuba’s western tip, where authorities have evacuated 50,000 people, as it became a major Category 3 storm early Tuesday and roared on a path that could hit Florida’s west coast as a Category 4 hurricane.
"The National Hurricane Center is now predicting that landfall will be Venice in 35 hours, at 125 mph ... making it a major, Category 3, landfalling hurricane," Kevin Guthrie, director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said at a press conference Tuesday morning.
Tampa and St. Petersburg had appeared to be among the most likely targets for their first direct hit by a major hurricane in a century. But the latest path projection means Ian is now expected to hit further south along the coast. Mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders are in place in eight Florida counties: Charlotte, Hillsborough, Levy, Lee, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota.
"It's important to say that Tampa Bay region, you are not out of the woods yet. There is still going to be a storm surge event in the Tampa Bay region," Guthrie said."You need to continue to heed the warnings that are in place for Pinellas, Tampa, Manatee, Hillsborough. Do not return yet if you have evacuated."
Forecasters said Ian was expected to move over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico Tuesday before passing west of the Florida Keys Tuesday night. It will then approach Florida's west coast as an"extremely dangerous" hurricane, the National Hurricane CenterThe storm on Tuesday battered Cuba with high winds and life-threatening storm surge, according to forecasters. It made landfall at 4:30 a.m.
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