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Ian has strengthened to Category 3 hurricane status and is expected to become an even stronger storm on a path directly taking it to the United States.
Early Tuesday morning, Sept. 27, the center of Ian is moving northward over Cuba after making landfall around 4:30 a.m. near Pinar Del Rio, a city in western Cuba, according to the National Hurricane Center.
It's now packing winds of 125 miles per hour with a projected path having it making landfall in Florida, likely near Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg in the early morning hours on Thursday, Sept. 29.
It's expected to strengthen to Category 4 status en route to Florida. (See the first image above from AccuWeather.com.)
A turn toward the north with a slightly slower forward speed is expected on Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said.
A turn toward the north-northeast with a further reduction in forward speed is forecast on Wednesday, Sept. 28.
The projected timing and path for Ian, released Tuesday morning by the National Hurricane Center, can be seen by clicking on the second image above.
Projected wind speeds for Ian through Friday morning, Sept. 30 are shown in the third image above.
Projected rainfall amounts for Ian through Saturday morning, Oct. 1 are shown in the fourth image above.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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