In its latest update, the National Hurricane Center says the eyewall of Hurricane Ian is starting to move onshore now.
The storm will cause “catastrophic storm surge, winds and flooding” in the areas in its path soon, it added.
If Hurricane Ian hits at its current intensity or higher, it will be the strongest storm to ever make landfall on the west coast of the Florida Peninsula on record.
Hurricane Ian underwent another bout of rapid Intensification in the past 24 hours, with its top-end winds increasing by 40 mph (from 115 to 155 mph) in about 16 hours.
Hurricanes undergoing rapid intensification in the 24 hours before landfall have been increasingly common in recent years. This was happened with Hurricanes Michael, Ida and Harvey, among others.
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