Hurricane Ian made landfall for the second time near Georgetown, South Carolina, and it strengthened back to a Category 1 hurricane as it crossed over the Florida peninsula, where it had weakened to a tropical storm. After crossing over Cuba, the western Cayman Islands, and Jamaica, the storm plowed through the Caribbean, bringing particularly dangerous surf and heavy rainfall, causing destruction along its path. Finally, on September, Hurricane Ian made a high-risk landfall near Costa Cayo in southwestern Florida, as a dangerous Category 4 storm.
In less than a day, Ian officially satisfied the National Hurricane Center’s criteria for “rapid intensification”–increasing wind speeds by at least 35 miles per hour. It became the most powerful September hurricane in this specific area of the Caribbean (west of 75 degrees west) since Hurricane Felix in 2007, with top winds reaching 105 mph. On September 26th, it transformed into a hurricane after initially developing in the central Caribbean on September 23rd.
Since the night of September 26th and into the morning of September 27th, Hurricane Ian intensified faster than any other hurricane in the Atlantic season. It became the strongest hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since Hurricane Irma in 2017, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. It was classified as a Category 3 hurricane.
Ian made landfall near La Rio Del Pinar in the western Province of Cuba, where high winds and a life-threatening storm surge battered the area, knocking out power to the island’s grid and causing residents in coastal communities to evacuate.
Since Charley in 2004, it was additionally the initial Category 4 hurricane to affect Southwest Florida. It was the most powerful hurricane to impact Florida since Michael in 2018. It was the fifth-most powerful hurricane on record to hit the United States, matching the record with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph when it made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida at 3:05 p.M. EDT. Just a little short of a Category 5 storm, Ian intensified into a Category 4 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico on the morning of Sept. 28, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph.
The city of Fort Myers itself was particularly hard hit, as the southwestern coast of Florida experienced a record-breaking surge of 7.26 feet. The ground level rose above 18 to 12 feet, causing unprecedented flooding. This catastrophic storm surge, along with heavy rainfall and intense winds, severely impacted parts of western Florida’s coast. Ian wreaked havoc in these areas.
On September 29th, while moving inland and crossing over the Florida peninsula, Ian was demoted to a tropical storm. In certain areas, intense precipitation became exceptionally damaging, generating amounts that occur once every 1000 years. For instance, Placida, located to the north of where Ian’s center reached land, accumulated over 15 inches of rainfall in a span of 12 hours, and Lake Wales, situated in central Florida, recorded nearly 17 inches of rain in just 24 hours.
Along the shore, it brought additional intense rainfall, strong gusts, and inundation. It marked the initial arrival of a hurricane that the state hasn’t experienced in almost six years. Following its change in direction and arrival in South Carolina shortly after 2:00 p.M. That day, it regained its strength and became a Category 1 hurricane again on September 30th, prior to traversing Florida and once more being situated over the ocean, Tropical Storm Ian had.
On October 1st, the cyclone subsequently dissipated over southern Virginia in the evening. Transforming into a post-tropical cyclone three hours after reaching land, Ian commenced weakening upon returning to land.