September 26, 2022 Florida braces for Hurricane Ian

By Mike Hayes, Elise Hammond and Maureen Chowdhury, CNN

Updated 7:11 a.m. ET, September 27, 2022
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12:07 p.m. ET, September 26, 2022

Storm surges from Hurricane Ian could be between "10 to 15 feet, and possibly higher," Tampa mayor says

(CNN)
(CNN)

After Hillsborough County issued mandatory evacuations for parts of the Tampa Bay area ahead of Hurricane Ian, Tampa mayor Jane Castor urged residents to leave.

"We are asking everyone to go ahead and make those plans to leave from the Zone A, which basically is all the waterfront. We have about 126 miles of waterfront just in our city alone ... You don't have to evacuate far. You just need to get away from the water," she told CNN.

The main concern, Castor says, is the storm surge, which could be anywhere between 10 to 15 feet.

"While the weather is cooperating," residents should "just get out of those high water areas," she said Monday. "The storm is bringing all of the water into Tampa Bay, which as you know is very shallow. And so those storm surges could be anywhere from 10 to 15 feet, and possibly higher, as well. So that clearly will be very impactful and devastating for certain areas."

Addressing residents who do not want to leave their possessions behind, Castor reminded, "you certainly can replace personal possessions. You can't bring anyone back to life."

"Mother nature always wins. And this storm is going to be a very impactful storm whether it is offshore or it comes closer to Tampa Bay. And so this is nothing to mess around with. If you can leave, just leave now. And we will take care of your personal property. 

You can find your evacuation zone with this online tool.

WATCH:

11:45 a.m. ET, September 26, 2022

MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa issues mandatory evacuation ahead of Hurricane Ian

From CNN's Ellie Kaufman

MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, has issued an “installation-wide mandatory evacuation” by Tuesday at 12 p.m. ET for “non-mission essential individuals, including uniformed service members” and dependents, the facility said on its Twitter account on Monday.

MacDill Air Force Base has about 6,000 military and civilian personnel, according to the base's website.

It is home to both US Central Command headquarters and US Special Operations Command headquarters.

11:22 a.m. ET, September 26, 2022

Florida governor says Ian looks to be a "really big hurricane at this point"

(Florida Governor's Office)
(Florida Governor's Office)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday morning that Ian looks to be a "really big hurricane at this point," noting that the "diameter is about 500 miles wide."

DeSantis said some counties in the state have begun to issue evacuation notices and encouraged residents in the path of the storm to visit the state's disaster website to "know the zone that you're in" for potential evacuation.

The governor said that some transportation departments around the state are suspending tolls, and he said officials may suspend more if it is warranted. He also noted that some school closures have been announced and he believes they "may see more" schools cloisng this week.

DeSantis said the Florida National Guard has activated 5,000 members to help with storm response. He also said that 2,000 members of the National Guard from surrounding states were activated as well.

DeSantis noted that he's already declared a state of emergency for the entire of state. He said that "every hour, we get more certainty ... this will have major impacts on Florida's Gulf Coast." 

The governor urged people to prepare but said there is "no need to panic buy" supplies.

11:59 a.m. ET, September 26, 2022

Hurricane Ian has rapidly intensified. Here's what that means.

From CNN's Brandon Miller

A satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Ian near Cuba, right, on Monday at 11:10 a.m. ET.
A satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Ian near Cuba, right, on Monday at 11:10 a.m. ET. (NOAA/NASA)

Hurricane Ian’s strengthening continues in the Caribbean Sea on Monday morning, with sustained winds of 80 mph as of the 11 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center.

This means that the hurricane has officially undergone "rapid intensification," which is defined as a storm’s top-end winds increasing by at least 35 mph in 24 hours or less. Ian’s winds have increased 35 mph since 5 p.m. ET yesterday evening.

The rapid intensification is expected to continue as the storm traverses very warm water, and is forecast to have winds of at least 105 mph (which would make it a Category 2) by this evening, according to the official hurricane ecenter forecast.

Rapid intensification is one of the ways that scientists have found climate change is impacting hurricanes and typhoons around the planet, as warmer ocean water allows for storms to grow stronger, faster. 

1:17 p.m. ET, September 26, 2022

"Significant wind and storm surge impacts expected" in western Cuba tonight as Ian approaches

Conditions in parts of Cuba will "deteriorate this evening" as Hurricane Ian continues to approach the island, the National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane Ian remains a Category 1 storm, as it currently is about 240 miles southeast of Cuba's western tip

"Ian forecast to continue rapidly strengthening," the center said in its 11 a.m. ET update. "Conditions in western Cuba to deteriorate this evening and tonight with significant wind and storm surge impacts expected."

Here's a look at the latest forecast track:

10:59 a.m. ET, September 26, 2022

NASA will roll Artemis rocket off launch pad due to Hurricane Ian

The Artemis I rocket sits on a launch pad after the launch was scrubbed at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 6.
The Artemis I rocket sits on a launch pad after the launch was scrubbed at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 6. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

NASA will roll back its Artemis rocket off the launch pad because of Hurricane Ian, the space agency announced Monday.

"Managers met Monday morning and made the decision based on the latest weather predictions associated with Hurricane Ian, after additional data gathered overnight did not show improving expected conditions for the Kennedy Space Center area," NASA said in a statement.

Whenever it launches, the uncrewed Artemis I mission will journey around the moon. Although there is no human crew aboard the mission, it's the first step of the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon and eventually land them on Mars.

10:39 a.m. ET, September 26, 2022

Pinellas County officials say Ian has slowed and "could potentially sit on top of us for 47 hours"

Pinellas County Director of Emergency Management Cathie Perkins speaks during a press conference Monday morning.
Pinellas County Director of Emergency Management Cathie Perkins speaks during a press conference Monday morning. (courtesy Pinellas County government)

Pinellas County Director of Emergency Management Cathie Perkins said that officials in their area are planning for a Category 3 hurricane to hit and bring 10 to 15 inches of rain as well as devastating storm surge and wind.

During a Monday morning briefing, Perkins said that officials today received a "bad piece of news" that Ian is "trending to slow down" and "could potentially sit on top of us for 47 hours."

She instructed residents to visit the county's emergency website and check their evacuation zone. She told communities to "prepare for the worst" because this storm is "no joke."

Perkins said long-term care facilities in Pinellas County have already begun evacuations. She said that people in mobile or manufactured homes "will need to evacuate," too.

Perkins asked residents who live outside the evacuation zone to consider inviting someone to shelter with them. She also called for all tourists to "head home."

Anyone who is leaving Pinellas County, she said, should leave today.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri noted that currently the area is not under a mandatory evacuation order but "it will come" — so "put into motion right now plans that you have."

Gualtieri added that if residents call first responders for help after a mandatory evacuation has been ordered "we're not coming."

"Please, don't put yourself in that situation," he said.
2:25 p.m. ET, September 26, 2022

Hillsborough County issues mandatory evacuations

Hillsborough County has issued mandatory evacuations for parts of the Tampa Bay area ahead of Hurricane Ian, County Administrator Bonnie M. Wise announced Monday.

Wise said about 300,000 people will be asked to evacuate under the orders.

Mandatory evacuations have been issued for zone A, and voluntary evacuations will be recommended for zone B. The orders will go into effect at 2 p.m. ET today, Wise said.

You can find your evacuation zone with this online tool.

9:59 a.m. ET, September 26, 2022

SOON: Local Florida officials to give briefings on Hurricane Ian

There are two news conferences set to begin shortly with county officials in Florida discussing Hurricane Ian.

  • At 10 a.m. ET, officials from Hillsborough County will give a briefing from Hillsborough Public Safety Operations Complex in Tampa. You can watch here
  • Also at 10 a.m. ET, Pinellas County officials will speak from the Pinellas County Public Safety Complex in Largo. You can watch here

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Division Of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie are also scheduled to speak later this morning from Tallahassee.