thanks for joining me. i m fredricka whitfield. right now a state of emergency is in place for parts of florida as officials brace for what s expected to be first major hurricane to hit the state since 2018. tropical storm ian strengthened overnight and is forecast to intensify into a major hurricane when it moves into the gulf of mexico in the next few days. landfall is possible on the west coast of florida as early as wednesday. florida governor ron desantis has declared a state of emergency for 24 counties in the storm s path and is urging people across his state to get ready right now. we have team coverage tracking tropical storm ian. cnn s carlos suarez is covering storm preparations, and meteorologist allison chinchar is in the cnn weather center. let s begin with you, allison. how powerful might this storm be? it s very possible this could end up becoming a major hurricane in just the next two to three days. we take a look at the current statistics, sustained winds 45