Ian is expected to intensify to category 4 status in the Gulf of Mexico before beginning to weaken as it comes ashore in Florida.
As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, Ian is a category 3, major hurricane, with sustained winds of 115 mph. During the overnight hours, the center of the storm began to clear out with an eye forming as it crosses Cuba.
The National Hurricane Center says that Ian is undergoing rapid intensification, and has been for several days now. From 2 a.m. Monday to 2 a.m. Tuesday, the storm went from tropical storm status to a category 3 hurricane.
A number of Hurricane Watches and Warnings, as well as Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings are in effect for the United States. The alerts are along the Gulf of Mexico coast and the Atlantic coast.
In Georgia, a Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for coast Camden and Glenn Counties, including St. Marys, St. Simons Island, and Brunswick. A Storm Surge Warning is also in effect there for a potential surge of 2-4 feet.
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect elsewhere along the Georgia coast, extending into South Carolina. The counties include Effingham, Chatham, Bryan, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Wayne, Glynn, Brantley, Camden, and Charlton Counties.
A tremendous amount of uncertainty remains in the forecast for Ian, specifically the center of Ian. For now, it is expected to parallel the Florida coast over the next 2 days before coming ashore near the Tampa area as a major hurricane.
If the storm makes landfall further south, it will lessen our wind threat. Same is true for further north, making our wind threat greater.
It also will impact which side of the storm we are on. If the center passes to the west of central Georgia, that would put us on the side where the winds are a bit stronger, with a tropical tornado threat. If the storm passes central Georgia to the east, the winds will be just a bit weaker, with no tornado threat.
The National Hurricane Center Center cone has started pulling the center storm east of central Georgia late Friday into Saturday, with rain beginning as early as overnight Thursday and Friday.
Wind and rain are likely in Georgia beginning Friday, lasting until Saturday. It is too early to talk specifics on rainfall totals or potential wind gusts. More details on those to come this week.
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