Hurricane IAN
09/28/2022 Florida
Hurricane Ian was a major and destructive Category 4 Atlantic hurricane and the deadliest hurricane to strike the state of Florida since the Labor Day hurricane of 1935.
Ian caused widespread damage in western Cuba and the southeastern United States, particularly in the states of Florida and South Carolina.
It was the ninth named storm, the fourth hurricane, and the second major hurricane in the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season.
Ian originated from a tropical wave that moved off the coast of West Africa and across the central tropical Atlantic toward the Windward Islands. The wave moved into the Caribbean on Sept. 21, bringing heavy rains and gusty winds to Trinidad and Tobago, the ABC Islands and the northern coast of South America.
It became a tropical depression on the morning of September 23 and intensified into Tropical Storm Ian southeast of Jamaica the next day. Within 24 hours, Ian strengthened to a strong Category 3 hurricane and made landfall in western Cuba.
Heavy rains caused flooding throughout Cuba, leading to a nationwide power outage. Ian lost minimal strength over land and soon strengthened again over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico.
On September 28, 2022, it developed into a Category 4 hurricane on its way to the west coast of Florida, making landfall just below maximum strength in southwest Florida on Cayo Costa Island.
Along with several other storms, it became the fifth strongest hurricane ever to make landfall in the contiguous United States. After moving inland, Ian quickly weakened to a tropical storm before drifting back into the Atlantic.
It gained intensity and became a hurricane before making landfall in South Carolina for the second time. Shortly after landfall, Ian became an extratropical storm and gradually weakened before dissipating over southern Virginia on October 2.
Source: Nasa Landsat 8 satellite image from September 28, 2022.
Source: FleurDeOdile, Wikipedia
According to local officials, Hurricane Ian claimed at least 157 lives by November 1, including 5 people in Cuba, 146 in Florida, 5 in North Carolina, and 1 in Virginia. Ian caused catastrophic damage with an estimated loss of more than $50 billion.
Much of the damage was due to flooding caused by a 10-15 ft (3.0-4.6 m) storm surge. The cities of Fort Myers Beach and Naples were particularly hard hit. Millions of people were without power after the storm, and many residents had to take refuge on their rooftops. Sanibel Island and Pine Island were hit hardest by the storm surge, which destroyed numerous buildings and damaged both the Sanibel Causeway and the bridge to Pine Island.
Source: Wikipedia