0
0
Hurricane Ian is the latest destructive tropical storm turned hurricane to hit the shores of Florida. It began forming as a tropical storm on the 23rd of September over the central Caribbean, but by the night of the 26th it had emerged in the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 3 Hurricane. With winds reaching approximately 115 mph, it was dubbed the strongest (September) hurricane since Irma in 2017. However, Ian still had room to grow. By the 28th, it had intensified to a level just short of category 5 with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. These statistics make Ian the first category 4 hurricane to hit Southern Florida since 2004. Intense winds, heavy rainfall, and disastrous storm surges rocked the coast of Florida. Fort Myers in particular reached a record high surge of 7.26 feet. Slowly, Ian began to downgrade into a tropical storm again, but that didn’t stop it from continuing to reap havoc. Several locations across central and northern Florida were subject to astounding amounts of rainfall, ranging anywhere from 15 to 17 inches within 12 hours. From there, Ian moved to South Carolina, before finally dissipating over southern Virginia on October 1st, eight days after its initial formation.
A great number of residents were uprooted from their homes and everyday lives because of this storm as it continued to ravage Florida. In terms of damage done, the storm knocked out the power supply to more than 4 million people in Florida, with an additional 1.1 million homes and businesses losing power in North Carolina. Approximately 100 deaths have been reported as a result of the devastating storm. It’s a fortunately low number, but tragic nonetheless. Both Florida and the Carolinas are facing an estimated $47 billion in losses.
Source: www.nesdis.noaa.gov
Picture from www.vox.com
Average Rating