Nearly all of Florida, except areas south of Lake Okeechobee and the far western panhandle, is in the National Hurricane Center’s forecast cone for Hurricane Ian, forecasters said. The areas around Fort Meyers, Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg are at extreme risk of destructive winds and storm surge.
The west coast of Florida from Port Port Charlotte north to Clearwater is under a hurricane warning. Hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge watches and warnings are in effect elsewhere on both coasts of the state plus Lake Okeechobee. A state of emergency is in effect for nearly the entire state, and forecasters warned there is much uncertainty about the storm’s track.
A tropical storm warning was issued early Tuesday from Jupiter Inlet to the Volusia/Brevard County line including Lake Okeechobee, and a tropical storm watch was issued for Deerfield Beach north to Jupiter Inlet.
Here’s the latest forecast track including the so-called “spaghetti models,” which show the range of possible tracks based on various computer models:
