Hurricane Ian Latest Updates on Storm Path

Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 storm, with winds of up to 155 mph, is approaching Category 5 strength and could make landfall in southwest Florida as one of the strongest storms ever to hit the continental U.S. Ian gained strength after striking Cuba on Tuesday.

It is already projected to be the costliest storm in U.S. history, affecting large swaths of Florida and reaching other parts of the Southeast; the storm will spawn “catastrophic wind damage,” flash flooding and torrential rainfall. Federal weather authorities announced that the storm could be “life threatening” and that everyone in the hurricane zone should promptly follow evacuation orders from local authorities.

Floridians have been preparing for Ian since Monday, especially around the Tampa Bay region where flights were pre-emptively canceled, evacuation orders were issued, and power was cut to mitigate equipment damage from the storm.

Scientists warn that climate change is helping to turbocharge storms like Ian, and that the warming world pushes storm intensity to grow, resulting in deadlier, more damaging storms. At 8 a.m. ET on Wednesday, the eye of the hurricane was just off the southwestern Florida coast near Fort Myers, but it’s projected to move further inland across the next three days.

Here’s what you need to know.