Daniel Prince
Rain and wind to affect our area
Ian made landfall in Florida yesterday as a category 4 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. It continues to cross over Florida and lose intensity, and it is now classified as Tropical Storm Ian, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. The storm continues to move to the northeast at 8 mph. The storm track has continued to shift eastward with each update from the National Hurricane Center.
The 5 a.m. advisory shows the storm’s center leaving Florida’s east coast a little farther south than previous tracks, with the storm moving back over the Atlantic Ocean. It is projected to make landfall again as a tropical storm Friday afternoon along the South Carolina coast between Beaufort and Charleston. It will move across the state into the midlands by early Saturday morning and will move into North Carolina by Saturday afternoon. A hurricane watch is in effect for the South Carolina coast, as the storm could strengthen in the Atlantic waters.
For our area, rain is expected to begin Friday morning, with the heaviest rains expected Friday and Friday night, slightly earlier than previously expected. Our area has a 20-30% chance of experiencing tropical-storm-force winds of 39 mph sustained for a minute or longer. Rainfall totals of between 3-6 inches are possible. Today will be a very windy day, with gusts expected as high as 29 mph. Gusts tomorrow of around 31 mph are possible. There is only a marginal risk of severe weather in our area, with most of the tornado threat well to our south and east. WBCU News will continue to track Ian and provide updates throughout the day today and tomorrow.