As Hurricane Ian made landfall with sustained winds near 150 mph as it hit the west coast near Cayo Costa, the monster storm continues to target Central Florida, and we prepares to face off the storm.
Conditions here in the tourism corridor are starting to deteriorate as we see the impact of Hurricane Ian already, the outer bands of the storm have been lashing us with heavy rain, and now the rain squalls are bringing 50 mph already here in Orange County.
A tornado watch has been issued for Orange, Seminole, Brevard, Osceola, and Volusia counties through 1 a.m. Thursday.
Conditions are going to get worse before the get better. How much worse will it get? Tonight, Wednesday 28 September, we can expect the rain will get heavier with wind speeds increasing with tropical storm-force winds and even hurricane-force gusts.
Once into Thursday, 29 September we will continue to experience strong winds and heavy rain throughout the day before Hurricane Ian clears out on Friday, 30 September.
During a Wednesday afternoon press conference Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said the area is projected to see as much as 24 inches of rain, winds nearing 100 mph and possible tornadoes as Hurricane Ian moves inland.
He said the county is “within the crosshairs” of the storm, with significant winds expected to hit the area as soon as 2 p.m. ET.
He said a tornado watch is in effect for much of east Central Florida and Orange County through at least 5 p.m.
“Within the next 24 hours, we will get sustained winds of 95 mph. So that means that those are hurricane force winds that will create significant damage for our community," he said in the news conference. "We want everyone to be prepared for that. By this evening, we will be experiencing full tropical force, tropical storm winds.”
As Hurricane Ian continues its path towards Central Florida we will update our news page with all the latest closures.
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