Hurricane Ian Nears Category 5 Status As It Takes Aim On US, Projected Path Changes

Ian has strengthened to Category 4 hurricane status and its projected path has changed as it nears a direct hit on the southwest Florida coast with the potential to be one of the most devastating and costly storms in US history.

Now a Category 4 hurricane, just shy of Cat 5 status, Ian is expected make landfall Wednesday afternoon in the Fort Myers area.
Photo Credit: *AccuWeather.com*

Projected wind speeds for Ian through Friday morning, Sept. 30.
Photo Credit: *AccuWeather.com*

Projected rainfall amounts for Ian through Saturday morning, Oct.1.
Photo Credit: *AccuWeather.com*

Joe Lombardi

09/28/2022 7:50 a.m.

Early Wednesday morning, Sept. 28, the center of Ian is now heading straight to the Fort Myers/Sarasota, Florida area, a notable shift in the path to the south southeast after early path projections had its track moving farther north toward Tampa and St.Petersburg.

It is about 65 miles west-southwest of Naples, Florida at about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

It's packing winds of 155 miles per hour making it close to a Category 5 storm after it barreled through Cuba, knocking out that nation's power grid.

Catastrophic wind damage, 12- to 16-foot storm surge above ground level, and flash flooding are expected after it makes landfall sometime during the afternoon on Wednesday in the Fort Myers area, likely during high tide.

Ian's latest projected path is shown in the first image above from AccuWeather.com.

Projected wind speeds for Ian through Friday morning, Sept. 30 are shown in the second image above.

Projected rainfall amounts for Ian through Saturday morning, Oct. 1 are shown in the third image above.

Original report - Possible New Hurricane Targets US: Here's Projected Timing, Track

This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.

Click here to follow Daily Voice Darien and receive free news updates.