Hurricane Ian continues its collision course with the west coast of Florida Wednesday as a strong and potentially catastrophic category 4 hurricane. WCCO Radio Chief Meteorologist Paul Douglas says he's as concerned as he's ever been about a Florida hurricane, especially with the path pushing it closer to Fort Myers.
“We have such a connection to Fort Myers,” explains Douglas. “The Twins (spring training home), many of us have places down there, friends and family with places. While there's still cell coverage, I would plead with them if they can't get inland, get up, third story or higher. 12 to 16 foot surge, I don't think any of us can imagine what that's going to do.”
Paul says the aftermath of storms of this nature, the lack of electricity and the abundance of flooding, is in many ways more deadly than landfall itself.
“This bad,” Douglas said. “We knew it was going to be rough for southwest Florida. And yes, I know the track kept shifting southward. At one point it was the panhandle then it was Tampa Bay, then it was Sarasota. Now we're zeroed in on the Naples area, but this is the real deal and I'm very, very, very concerned.”
Paul, speaking with WCCO's Vineeta Sawkar on the Morning News, Douglas urges those in the path of the storm to evacuate, either by leaving the area, or what he calls "evacuating vertically", getting three stories or more above ground.
Air Force hurricane hunters confirmed Ian gained strength over warm Gulf of Mexico water after battering Cuba, bringing down the country’s electricity grid and leaving the entire island without power. Ian was centered about 65 miles west-southwest of Naples at 7 a.m., swirling toward the coast at 10 mph.
“This is going to be a nasty, nasty day, two days,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said early Wednesday, stressing that people in Ian's path along the coast should rush to the safest possible shelter and stay there.
The massive storm appeared on track to slam ashore somewhere north of Fort Myers and some 125 miles south of Tampa, sparing the bay area from a rare direct hit from a hurricane. The area is popular with retirees and tourists drawn to pristine white sandy beaches and long barrier islands, which forecasters said could be completely inundated.
“If you are in any of those counties it is no longer possible to safely evacuate. It’s time to hunker down and prepare for the storm," DeSantis said. “Do what you need to do to stay safe. If you are where that storm is approaching, you’re already in hazardous conditions. It’s going to get a lot worse very quickly. So please hunker down."
Overnight, Hurricane Ian went through a natural cycle when it lost its old eye and formed a new eye. The timing was bad for the Florida coast, because the storm got stronger and larger only hours before landfall.
Ian went from 120 mph (193 kph) to 155 mph (250 kph) in just three hours, the second round of rapid intensification in the storm’s life cycle.
“With the higher intensity you’re going to see more extensive wind damage. The larger wind field means that more people will experience those storm-force winds,” University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy said. And “it will really increase the amount of storm surge.”
Ian’s forward movement shifted slightly southward, likely sparing Tampa and St. Petersburg their first direct hit by a major hurricane since 1921.
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