Historic Hurricane Ian Strengthens As It Nears South Carolina Landfall

Topline

Hurricane Ian is once again strengthening as it moves away from a now devastated Florida on course toward a landfall in South Carolina, where the massive storm is expected to inundate parts of the coastline with “life-threatening storm surge” and bring a heavy rain threat that could stretch hundreds of miles inland.

Key Facts

Ian’s maximum sustained winds increased to 85 mph early Friday morning, an intensity it’s expected to maintain as it hits South Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said.

The entire South Carolina coastline is under a hurricane warning, while tropical storm warnings expand southward to the Flagler/Volusia County line in Florida and northward to the town of Duck in northeastern North Carolina.

Though Ian’s top winds are far from the 155 mph the storm packed when it made landfall in southwest Florida on Wednesday, the size of its windfield has greatly expanded.

Tropical storm force winds now extend outward up to 485 miles from the center of the hurricane, prompting concerns of widespread power outages that could extend into the Mid-Atlantic region.

Peak storm surge of up to seven feet above normal tide levels in South Carolina is expected between Edisto Beach and Little River Inlet, while rainfall totals could reach a foot in northeast South Carolina.

Crucial Quote

“Locally considerable flash, urban, and small stream flooding is possible today into Saturday across portions of northwest North Carolina and southwest Virginia,” the National Hurricane Center said in a forecast discussion.

Key Background

Cities in southwest Florida that bore the brunt of the storm’s peak intensity, such as Fort Myers, appear largely destroyed. Search and rescue operations are continuing in the area, but concerns are growing the storm could leave a historic death toll, with President Joe Biden saying he believes Ian might end up being the deadliest storm in Florida history. At least 12 deaths have been confirmed in Florida so far. Infrastructure damage also seems extreme—more than 2 million customers remain without electricity in Florida, according to PowerOutage.us, while some coastal roadways are washed out. One of the most noticeable casualties of the storm is the Sanibel Causeway, which connects Sanibel Island to mainland Florida. The bridge partially collapsed while Ian battered the area.

Tangent

Walt Disney World and the Disney Springs shopping area near Orlando, Florida, plan to partially reopen Friday. The damage to Disney properties is not yet clear.

Further Reading

Disney World In Florida Reopening On Friday After Hurricane Ian (Forbes)

Hurricane Ian: These Are The Florida Areas Hardest Hit By The Category 4 Storm (Forbes)