Florida was anxiously awaiting the arrival in the day of Category 4 Hurricane Ian on Wednesday, which “is rapidly intensifying” and could lead to “catastrophic” consequences according to the American weather services, after devastating western Cuba .
Ian is expected to cause "catastrophic marine flooding, windstorms, and flooding across the Florida Peninsula," the National Hurricane Center (NHC) estimates in its latest bulletin.
Expected rainfall
Carrying sustained winds of up to 250 km/h and even "higher" gusts, Ian is heading for the west coast of Florida where he is expected in the early afternoon local time.
The hurricane must then “move over land” during the day, and “emerge over the western Atlantic by Thursday evening”.
Between 30 and 45 cm of precipitation is expected in central and northeast Florida, and up to 60 cm in some places, according to the NHC.
"This is a major storm," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Wednesday morning at a news conference, warning that Ian could make landfall as a Category 5 hurricane, the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
Evacuations at night
Evacuation orders were given overnight for a dozen counties on the coast, and according to Ron DeSantis these were generally followed in these very sensitive areas, "but perhaps not by everyone".
Warning that the day was going to be "very, very difficult", the governor asked people not to go outside during the passage of the eye of the hurricane.
“There is actually a calm when the center of the hurricane is above you.
Do you think the storm has passed?
This is not the case.
She is still very dangerous.
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