Hurricane Ian strengthened back into a category 1 storm Thursday evening after being downgraded to a tropical storm overnight.
Hurricane Ian made landfall on Florida’s west coast on Wednesday as a category 4 storm.
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The eye of the storm hit Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 155 miles per hour.
Water continues rising.
My mom said that there are desperate neighbors with their houses underwater. She asked me to tweet that rescue boats be sent to Judd Park, North Fort Myers. #HurricaneIan pic.twitter.com/MtEshEHzQh
— Brittany Hailer (@BrittanyHailer) September 28, 2022
Governor DeSantis described the damage as that of a 500-year flood after a 9+ foot surge in Fort Myers.
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Hurricane Ian strengthened to a category 1 with 75 mph winds Thursday evening at 5 PM EDT as it crawled up the Atlantic Ocean toward South Carolina.
Charleston County, South Carolina declared a state of emergency on Thursday and braced for impact.
Ian is expected to make landfall in South Carolina on Friday.
AccuWeather reported:
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The coastal region of Charleston County, South Carolina, Thursday declared a state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Ian’s arrival on Friday as officials prepare to deal with the storm’s impact. The intense tropical storm strengthened yet again into a hurricane Thursday afternoon after veering into the Atlantic Ocean.
“There is the potential for major flooding tomorrow,” said Joe Coates, Charleston County emergency management director. “If you live on a barrier island or a low-lying area that historically floods, and you haven’t moved to higher ground, I recommend you relocate NOW.”
AccuWeather meteorologists are predicting the county seat of Charleston, South Carolina, will be the target of Ian’s next landfall. Forecasters say torrential rain and strong wind gusts from Ian will begin in the area Thursday night and continue through Friday evening. Charleston could end up with more than a foot of rain from Ian.
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