Ion becomes a hurricane; Wednesday it will approach West Florida – NBC 7 Miami (51)

MIAMI – According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Ian became a hurricane on Monday as it continued to move through the Caribbean Sea. It will approach the Florida coast on Wednesday.

According to him The latest NHC bulletin was released at 8:00 a.m. ET. As of Monday, the system was 90 miles south-southwest of Grand Cayman and 275 miles southeast of the western tip of Cuba.

According to the NHC, the hurricane had sustained winds of 75 mph and was moving toward the northwest at 14 mph. Rapid reinforcement is expected in the next few hours to arrive in western Cuba.

South Florida, which includes the Florida Keys, Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach, is out of the track cone, including parts of West, Central, and North Florida. However, a Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect for the lower Florida Keys.

On the forecast track, Ian’s eye is expected to pass near or west of the Cayman Islands on Monday and near or over western Cuba on Monday night and early Tuesday morning. Ian will emerge over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, pass west of the Florida Keys on Tuesday night and approach the west coast of Florida on Wednesday.

Notices, watches and warnings are in effect

A hurricane watch has been issued for Florida’s west coast from north of Englewood to the Anclote River, including Tampa Bay.

A tornado warning is in effect

• Cayman Islands

• The Cuban provinces of Isla de Juventud, Pinar del Río and Artemisa

A tropical storm warning is in effect

• The Cuban provinces of Havana, Mayabeque and Matanzas
• The lower Florida Keys are from Seven Mile Bridge west to Key West
• Dry Tortugas

vTropical Storm Watch

• Little Cayman and Cayman Brac
• Englewood south to Sokoloski

A storm surge watch is in effect

• Florida Keys Cord Sound Bridge west to Key West
• Dry turtles
• Florida Bay
• Anglot River south of the Cord Sound Bridge,
• Tampa Bay

A tornado watch is in effect:

• Englewood to Anclod River, including Tampa Bay

Our meteorologist Pedro Montoro explains the formation and intensification of a hurricane step by step from the virtual lab.

Ian is expected to produce the following precipitation:

Jamaica: Additional 1-3 inches, local maximum storm totals up to 8 inches.

Cayman Islands: 3 to 6 inches, with local highs of 8 inches.

Western Cuba: 6 to 10 inches, with local highs of 16 inches.

Florida Keys South and Central Florida Panhandle: 2 to 4 inches, with local highs of 6 inches Monday through Wednesday night.

Heavy rain will affect North Florida, the Florida Panhandle and the Southeast on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.