Rain ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Ian, in Coloma, Cuba, on Sept. 26.ALEXANDRE MENEGHINI/Reuters
Hurricane Ian tore into western Cuba as a major hurricane Tuesday and left one million people without electricity, then churned on a collision course with Florida over warm Gulf waters amid expectations it would strengthen into a catastrophic Category 4 storm.
Ian made landfall in Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province, where officials set up 55 shelters, evacuated 50,000 people, and took steps to protect crops in the nation’s main tobacco-growing region. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Cuba suffered “significant wind and storm surge impacts” when the hurricane struck with top sustained winds of 205 kilometres an hour.
Ian was expected to get even stronger over the warm Gulf of Mexico, reaching top winds of 209 kilometres an hour approaching the southwest coast of Florida, where 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate.
Tropical storm-force winds were expected across the southern peninsula late Tuesday, reaching hurricane-force Wednesday – when the eye was predicted to make landfall. With tropical storm-force winds extending 225 kilometres from Ian’s centre, damage was expected across a wide area of Florida.
It was not yet clear precisely where Ian would crash ashore. Its exact track could determine how severe the storm surge is for Tampa Bay, said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. Landfall south of the bay could make the impact “much less bad,” Mr. McNoldy said.
Gil Gonzalez boarded up his windows Tuesday and had sandbags ready to protect his Tampa home. He and his wife had stocked up on bottled water and packed flashlights, battery packs for their cellphones and a camp stove before evacuating.
“All the prized possessions, we’ve put them upstairs in a friend’s house and nearby, and we’ve got the car loaded,” Mr. Gonzalez said on his way out. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged people to prepare for extended power outages and to get out of the storm’s potential path.
“It is a big storm, it is going to kick up a lot of water as it comes in,” Mr. DeSantis told a news conference in Sarasota, Fla., a coastal city of 57,000 that could be hit. “And you’re going to end up with really significant storm surge and you’re going to end up with really significant flood events. And this is the kind of storm surge that is life threatening.”
He said about 30,000 utility works have already been positioned around the state, but it might take days before they can safely reach some of the downed power lines.
“This thing’s the real deal,” Mr. DeSantis said. “It is a major, major storm.”
The forecasted path for Hurricane Ian
As of Tuesday, Sept. 27, 8 a.m. (ET)
Forecast positions
Potential track area*
Hurricane/tropical storm watch
Hurricane/tropical storm warning
W.Va.
Va.
Ky.
N.C.
Tenn.
Sunday,
2 a.m.
S.C.
Ga.
Ala.
Saturday,
2 a.m.
Friday,
2 a.m.
Fla.
Thursday,
2 a.m.
Wednesday,
2 a.m.
Tuesday,
8 a.m.
CUBA
MEXICO
*This "cone of uncertainty" indicates the potential areas where the centre of the storm may go. The graphic does not indicate the strength of the storm.
MURAT YÜKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
The forecasted path for Hurricane Ian
As of Tuesday, Sept. 27, 8 a.m. (ET)
Forecast positions
Potential track area*
Hurricane/tropical storm watch
Hurricane/tropical storm warning
W.Va.
Va.
Ky.
N.C.
Tenn.
Sunday,
2 a.m.
S.C.
Ga.
Ala.
Saturday,
2 a.m.
Friday,
2 a.m.
Fla.
Thursday,
2 a.m.
Wednesday,
2 a.m.
Tuesday,
8 a.m.
CUBA
MEXICO
*This "cone of uncertainty" indicates the potential areas where the centre of the storm may go. The graphic does not indicate the strength of the storm.
MURAT YÜKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
The forecasted path for Hurricane Ian
As of Tuesday, Sept. 27, 8 a.m. (ET)
W.Va.
Va.
Ky.
N.C.
Tenn.
Sunday,
2 a.m.
Ark.
S.C.
Ga.
Miss.
Ala.
Saturday,
2 a.m.
La.
Friday,
2 a.m.
Thursday,
2 a.m.
Fla.
THE BAHAMAS
Wednesday,
2 a.m.
Gulf of Mexico
Tuesday,
8 a.m.
CUBA
Forecast positions
Potential track area*
Hurricane/tropical storm watch
JAMAICA
Hurricane/tropical storm warning
*This "cone of uncertainty" indicates the potential areas where the centre of the storm may go. The graphic does not indicate the strength of the storm.
MURAT YÜKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
Mr. DeSantis said nearly 100 shelters had been opened by Tuesday afternoon, with more expected. He said most buildings in Florida are strong enough to withstand wind, but the 2.5 million people who have been told to evacuate face the greatest danger from flooding.
Hundreds of residents were being evacuated from several nursing homes in the Tampa area, where hospitals were also moving some patients. Airports in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Key West closed. Busch Gardens in Tampa closed ahead of the storm, while several Orlando-area theme parks, including Disney World and Sea World, planned to close Wednesday and Thursday.
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