The ninth named tropical storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season has formed across the central Caribbean Sea, and is forecast to turn into a hurricane before hitting Florida. If it does, it will be the first major hurricane to impact the state since 2018.
Tropical Storm Ian was located about 270 miles south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, as of 11 a.m. Saturday and moving west at about 15 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The forecast shows Ian “as a major hurricane over the eastern Gulf when it is approaching the west coast of Florida,” after briefly passing over Cuba, the center said Friday. Much of the Gulf Coast of Florida, including the eastern Panhandle, could be at risk.
Forecast models on Saturday morning vary on where Ian may make landfall on Florida’s coast. The European model shows landfall near Fort Myers on Wednesday afternoon, while the American model shows landfall near the Big Bend region of the state early Friday morning.
The official hurricane center track splits the difference between the models, showing landfall near Tampa on Wednesday night.Hurricane Fiona is forecast to strike eastern Canada as a powerful hurricane force post-tropical storm beginning tonight, with officials in Nova Scotia telling residents they “should be preparing today and bracing for impact.”