NHC: Tropical Storm Ian Will Intensify Over the Next Few Days into Major Hurricane – Point of Impact Now Big Question

According to the 11 a.m. National Hurricane Center Forecast Cone, the storm will hit the Florida coast just north of the Tampa Bay area at 8 a.m. Thursday.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Florida residents are riveted on Tropical Storm Ian, which the National Hurricane Center is predicting will become a major CAT 3 hurricane and possibly hit somewhere along the Florida west coast. The big question at this point is where landfall will happen.

According to the 11 a.m. National Hurricane Center Forecast Cone, the storm will hit the Florida coast just north of the Tampa Bay area at 8 a.m. Thursday.

The storm formed Friday, and Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency on Friday afternoon for 24 counties that are at risk of being hit.

“This storm has the potential to strengthen into a major hurricane,” DeSantis said in the declaration, “and we encourage all Floridians to make their preparations.”

This declaration will make available important resources and support, as well as free up funding sources for emergency protective measures. Under this emergency order, members of the Florida National Guard will be activated and on standby awaiting orders.

Tropical Storm Ian was tracking west-northwest with a forward speed of 15 mph with maximum sustained winds were 45 mph.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm will rapidly intensify over the next few days as it churns northward into an environment more favorable for development, with decreasing wind shear, it will also move over very warm waters.

“Because of very warm waters and a forecast minimal amount of disruptive winds, there is the potential for the system to undergo rapid strengthening anytime from this weekend to midweek,” AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.

Pastelok said since a tropical storm is likely to form sooner rather than later, it is likely to take a more northerly track. Because of this, a track into Texas is not anticipated and a path into Louisiana is highly unlikely.

“A quickly developing system will tend to track more to the east,” said Pastelok. “For this reason, a track into or just off the Florida east coast is a possibility as well as a strike on the Florida west coast or the Florida Panhandle at this time.”

Governor DeSantis issued the State of Emergency for the following 24 counties:

■ Brevard
■ Broward
■ Charlotte
■ Collier
■ DeSoto
■ Glades
■ Hardee
■ Hendry
■ Highlands
■ Hillsborough
■ Indian River
■ Lee
■ Manatee
■ Martin
■ Miami-Dade
■ Monroe
■ Okeechobee
■ Osceola
■ Palm Beach
■ Pasco
■ Pinellas
■ Polk
■ Sarasota
■ St. Lucie

The Space Coast Daily Weather Report is brought to you by Gorilla Roofing, Inc., a Florida roofing company you can trust.

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