fort myers and clearwater, including all of the tampa bay area, are under a storm surge warning. storm surge is always one of our largest concerns here in southwest florida. you know, 90% of fatalities occurr due to water. charlotte harbour and the cities of port charlotte of punta gorda are expecting the highest storm surge, with 8 to 12 feet possible. around tampa, a record storm surges expected. a storm that slows down for 24 to 48 hours, and just continuously dumps rain into the tampa bay area is devastating. hurricane ian is expected to dump at least 2 to 3 months worth of rainfall by friday. possibly as much as 24 inches of rain in tampa and west central florida. it only takes 18 inches of water to be a life-threatening situation. tampa s airport taking no chances. at 5 pm today, no more commercial flights. evacuation orders expanding since monday, with shelters open for those without other
storm gets there a little bit sooner than even expected. we have to keep in mind, as derrick noted, this is a massive storm system. cloud field 700 miles across. these tropical storm force winds 140 miles away from the center. so, even if you are not near the system, 40 miles away from, you are going to feel tropical conditions. and that s the concern. and that s why our friends across orlando, disney world shutting down operations over the next 24 hours because of the system. and the impact will have. back this morning, you re going to see these tropical force winds as we transition into the early morning hours of wednesday, pushing in towards this region. so again, the impacts wide reaching. the storm surge threat a little further to charlotte harbour, john. pedram, thank, you appreciate the forecast there, and derek, we appreciate the live report from bradenton, florida, as well. in many parts of florida, police and fire departments, as well as other emergency responders, will soo
occurred due to water. charlotte harbour, and the cities of port charlotte and putin gorda, are expecting the highest storm surge, with 8 to 12 feet possible. around tampa, erekat storm surges expected. a storm that slows down for 24 to 48 hours, and just continuously dumps rain into the tampa bay area is devastating. hurricane ian is expected to dump at least 2 to 3 months of rainfall by friday. possibly as much as 24 inches of rain in tampa and west central florida. it only takes 18 inches of water to be a life-threatening situation. tampa s airport taking no chances. at 5 pm today, no more commercial flights. evacuation orders expanding since monday, with shelters open for those without other options to wait out the storm. i ve never been in a hurricane. this is my first time. my first time at a shelter. but i feel better here than if
of naples. it has dropped in its track once again to the south. so, that means we need to now, kind of, increase the time now for landfall. instead of maybe 4 to 7, this could be early afternoon. and unfortunately, that track, which looked like it could be somewhere between angleton and venice, is now down towards charlotte harbour. terrible news for everyone who lives in the waterway here, all coastal waterways, in let s. that surge is going to be crazy. this area, life-threatening from naples to beyond. tropical storm force winds by 8 am are going to be north of tampa all the way to the east coast. this storm, the acorn that has become the oak tree, the first hurricane to affect mainland u.s.. and now, a major hurricane after landfall in western cuba, power is out in havana. category three, still thinking it could make it, possibly to category 4 status. but the eye is getting larger. and the storm is getting wider. tropical storm force winds here in yellow, and you ve got hurricane-f
One of the most powerful storms in US history has barrelled into Florida's southwest coast with sustained winds of up to 150mph (241kph) and torrential rain.