Hurricane Ian fortifies to a Category 3 storm as it focuses on Florida. Hurricane Ian is projected to bring a dangerous storm surge.
The National Hurricane Center said you can expect winds as strong as 140 mph when it nears Florida's Gulf Coast in the middle of this week.
Forecasters said, Ian fortified into a significant Classification 3 storm starting around 5 a.m. ET Tuesday, recording the greatest sustained winds of 125 mph as it hit western Cuba.
Authorities in Cuba's Pinar del Rio territory set up many shelters and did whatever it may take to safeguard crops in Cuba's principal tobacco-growing region.
The island's west coast could see as much as 14 feet (4.3 meters) of storm surge said by The U.S. National Hurricane Center
The hurricane center said, as it hits Cuba, Ian's storm surge "could raise water levels by as much as 9 to 14 feet above normal tide levels" in certain areas
The flood is anticipated to be somewhat less extreme in Florida, yet portions of Tampa Bay may as yet see waters 5 to 10 feet higher than typical.