Tropical Depression Nine strengthened into Tropical Storm Ian late Friday night. Ian will continue to strengthen as we work throughout Saturday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 45 MPH.
As of the 5:00 AM Saturday Morning Advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Ian is located 315 miles Southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, or 600 miles East-Southeast of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. Ian is moving off to the West at 14 mph.
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The official forecast for Ian is to continue to strengthen gradually over the next few days, as it moves off to the west, then turning off to the northwest. The system will make landfall over portions of Western Cuba as we had into early next week, before moving into the gulf of Mexico. Right now, current forecast indications are that Ian will become a hurricane sometime late this weekend, if not early next week.
As Ian begins to move over Cuba, then, into the Gulf of Mexico, we are anticipating rapid intensification of this system, as it moves off to the north, then, turning off to the northeast. Forecast right now, have Ian becoming a major hurricane by late Tuesday night and early on Wednesday morning, before making landfall over portions of West Central, Florida, late Wednesday and end early on Thursday morning.
With rapid intensification possible, early forecasts, have Ian making landfall as a category three hurricane with maximum sustained winds around 115 MPH. But these wind speeds could be higher if rapid intensification happens faster as the center of circulation works into the Gulf of Mexico heading into early next week.
Hurricane conditions could begin to be felt in portions of South Florida in the Florida Keys by late Monday and early to mid Tuesday morning.
Residents in central, and southern Florida should make preparations now for hurricane conditions, starting early next week, and the issuance of potential hurricane watches and warnings lake this weekend and enter early next week.