Ian could become 'catastrophic' Category 4 hurricane; Florida Gov. DeSantis declares state of emergency: What we know

Tropical Storm Ian strengthened into a hurricane Monday while racing across the Caribbean toward Cuba and threatening a big hit to Florida's west coast later in the week.

At 5 a.m. EDT on Monday, Ian was moving northwest at 13 mph, about 90 miles southwest of Grand Cayman, according to the National Hurricane Center. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.

Ian was forecast to intensify rapidly and become a major hurricane as soon as late Monday.

As Ian approaches Florida, Accuweather said the storm could reach Category 4 status, which means sustained winds between 130 mph and 156 mph.

"In just a few days, Ian is likely to be a dangerous, major hurricane," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged residents to load up on food, water, medicine, batteries and fuel. He said it was too soon to determine when or even if Ian will make landfall, but that evacuations may be ordered in coming days.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/09/25/ian-could-become-major-hurricane-targets-florida-what-we-know/8113790001/