Hurricane Ian has nearly reached Category 5 strength as it begins making landfall in Florida.
Knocking out power in certain parts of Florida already, Hurricane Ian has winds up to 155 mph.
With strong wind comes the risk of flooding and a ‘life-threatening’ storm surge of up to 16 feet.
Officials are warning residents to shelter in place and say it’s too late to evacuate at this point.
The storm will make landfall in the early afternoon.
A house with “Go Away Ian” painted on the boarded up windows, is seen ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Ian in Indian Shores, 25 miles West of Tampa, Florida on September 26, 2022. – In Florida, the city of Tampa was under a hurricane watch, and Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in all 67 counties as officials scrambled to prepare for the storm’s forecast landing on late Wednesday or Thursday.
Ian “will bring heavy rains, strong winds, flash flooding, storm surge, along with isolated tornado activity along Florida’s Gulf Coast,” DeSantis said at a press conference in Tallahassee on Monday. (Photo by Ricardo ARDUENGO / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images)
