WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Hurricane Ian strengthened early Monday morning and is forecast to become a major hurricane on Tuesday.
According to the 11 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Ian is packing maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour and is moving northwest at 13 miles per hour.
A tropical storm warning is now in effect for parts of the Florida Keys. All of Palm Beach County, the Treasure Coast, and Lake Okeechobee remain out of the cone of uncertainty.
Additional strengthening is expected Sunday night, followed by more rapid strengthening on Monday and Tuesday, the NHC said.
The latest forecast cone has shifted slightly east as of 11 p.m. Sunday, with Ian expected to make landfall around Florida's Big Bend on Thursday evening as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour.
Even though South Florida remains out of the cone, WPTV First Alert Weather meteorologist John Gerard said there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the storm's eventual track.
TRACKING THE TROPICS: Hurricane Center | Hurricane Guide
According to the NHC, a turn toward the north-northwest is expected on Monday, followed by a northward motion on Tuesday.
Ian is expected to pass near or west of the Cayman Islands on Monday, and near or over western Cuba Monday night and early Tuesday.
Ian will then emerge over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, where it's expected to strengthen into a major Category 3 hurricane, then a Category 4 on Wednesday.
WPTV First Alert Weather chief meteorologist Steve Weagle said the outer bands of the storm will impact our area Tuesday and Wednesday. A tornado threat is possible, as well as three to five inches of rain by mid-week.
A hurricane warning is in effect for:
- Grand Cayman
- Cuban provinces of Isla de Juventud, Pinar del Rio, and Artemisa
A tropical storm warning is in effect for:
- Cuban provinces of La Habana, Mayabeque, and Matanzas
- Lower Florida Keys from Seven Mile Bridge westward to Key West
- Dry Tortugas
A tropical storm watch is in effect for:
- Little Cayman and Cayman Brac
- Englewood southward to Chokoloskee
A storm surge watch is in effect for:
- Florida Keys from the Card Sound Bridge westward to Key West
- Dry Tortugas
- West coast of Florida from Englewood southward to the Card Sound Bridge
- Florida Bay
