National Hurricane Center
Hurricane Ian is churning toward Cuba, and forecasters expect it to rapidly gain strength in the warm Gulf waters as it approaches the western Florida coast.
Ian is expected to pass over the Cayman Islands Monday, then western Cuba on Monday night or early Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued a hurricane warning for the Cuban provinces of Isla de la Juventud, Pinar del Rio, and Artemisa.
On Monday at 2 p.m. ET, NHC said the storm was located about 195 miles southeast of Cuba's western top, traveling northwest at 13 mph.
As of that update, Ian was a Category 1 storm with 85 mph winds. But it's expected to churn itself up to 111 mph, a Category 3 storm, overnight or early Tuesday.
A hurricane watch is in effect across half of the Florida Gulf Coast, from Englewood to the Anclote River, including Tampa Bay, where NHC expects the heaviest storm surge — up to 10 feet of water.
Heavy rainfall is expected to bring flooding across Florida, including all the way east to Orlando.
"This is traditional rainfall flooding that will come and make movement difficult. So this is why you can't be waiting until the last minute to move around and make your preparations," Jamie Rhome, acting director of NHC, said in a livestream update Monday morning. In the Tampa Bay area, he added, preparations should be complete by Tuesday night.
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