LATEST ON HURRICANE IAN
Hurricane Ian made landfall at 2:05 p.m. near Georgetown, South Carolina, packing 85 mph winds. Gusts have surpassed 60 mph along the coast, with a peak wind of 92 mph in Charleston Harbor at Shutes Folly.
A hurricane warning and storm surge warning is in effect for the South Carolina coast as far north as Cape Fear, North Carolina. Tropical storm warnings extend from Altamaha Sound, Georgia, to Pamlico Sound, along the North Carolina coast.
Hurricane Ian regained strength over the water late Thursday, after crossing the Florida Peninsula Wednesday, and causing catastropphic damage in southwest and parts of central Florida. Wind gusts reached 124 mph at Punta Gorda, Florida, around the time of landfall Wednesday afternoon (3:05 p.m.) near Cayo Costa, as a Category 4 hurricane (150 mph winds).
Ian took a path very similar to Hurricane Charley in 2004, which also caused heavy damage after veering inland in about the same location, with 150 mph winds, then crossing over to the other side of Florida. Charley was a more compact, faster-moving storm, while Ian lumbered across the peninsula and dumped greater amounts of rain–upwards of 20 inches in Central Florida a little south of Tampa and Orlando.
Coastal Georgia, South Carolina and northeast Florida will be looking at potentially life-threatening storm surge of 3 to 6 feet and higher in some places, depending on the angle that Ian takes approaching the coast.
TRACK OF IAN:
The storm will continue inland through South Carolina and North Carolin Friday and Saturday, weakening due to friction over land, but still producing very heavy rain and strong winds as far north as Virginia.
The remnants of Ian will migrate northward and slowly transition to post-tropcial in western Virginia Saturday night, eventually stalling and turning east on Sunday.
Cloud cover will increase in the Ohio Valley, but the rain will not arrive until closer to daybreak. This means seven straight weeks of dry/good weather for Football Friday Nite locally.
Showers will move into southeastern Ohio after midnight and overspread areas south of U.S. 22 by daybreak, with dry conditions along and north of the I-71 corridor initially.
Bands of light rain will gradually overspread central Ohio, brushing the Columbus area during the OSU-Rutgers game, which has a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. Winds will become gusty from the northeast around 20 mph.
Areas that receive rain from Ian will experience much cooler temperatures Saturday, mainly in the mid-50s to low 60s, compared to the northwestern part of the state, where readings will be in the mid- to upper 60s where the weather remains dry.
The storm will eventually run up against high pressure over New England and be suppressed, with showers limited to the southeastern portion of Ohio.
Overall the remnants of Ian may produce some healthy rainfall totals in southeastern Ohio, with less than .10 inch along the I-71 corridor. The northwestern half of the state will likely remain dry through the weekend.