Hurricane Ian heads toward Florida after slamming western Cuba

Last updated on October 7th, 2023 at 06:06 am

US – Jan, a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, passed over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico around 2:00 pm. The alien made landfall in Cuba early Tuesday morning in a category 3, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Yan is heading towards Florida after making landfall in western Cuba on Tuesday, and Sunshine State officials are pleading with people to flee the peninsula’s west coast ahead of a life-threatening storm surge in the Fort Myers and Tampa areas and heavy rains.

Cuba’s tobacco-rich Pinar del Río province lost power due to the hurricane, according to Cuban state television. Waterlogged fields and fallen trees lie in front of buildings in San Juan y Martinez, a city in the province, state media images show Cubadebate. Up to 16 inches of rain, landslides, and flash floods are possible in western Cuba, according to the hurricane center. Mayelyn Suarez, a resident of Pinar del Río, told Reuters that the storm was the darkest night of her life.

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Jan is then forecast to head to western Florida, where it will begin to rain and strong tropical storm winds on Tuesday, and the system will be ready for life-threatening storm surge – ocean water washed ashore – and flood rain from Wednesday to Thursday morning.

The storm could make landfall near Venice — about 20 miles southeast of Sarasota — on Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane, which means sustained winds of at least 111 mph, according to forecasters. Officials warn: leave the shore immediately.

The hurricane’s threatening approach to Florida sparked preparations across the state as officials announced school closures and flight cancellations and the military began moving ships and planes.

Across Florida’s west coast, officials are urging residents to avoid danger rather than stay to protect their property. About 2.5 million Florida residents were under some sort of evacuation order Tuesday, state officials said. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned of a power outage as well as possible fuel shortages.