Hurricane Ian Brought Devastation To Florida, Flooding To The Carolinas And Mid-Atlantic (RECAP)

T​rack History

Hurricane Ian's beginnings came from a tropical wave in the Atlantic that fought hard against dry air and wind shear caused by Hurricane Fiona. The disturbance formed into a tropical depression on Sept. 23 and then became Tropical Storm Ian later that evening.

I​an first intensified into a hurricane while over the northwest Caribbean on the morning of Sept. 26. It then rapidly intensified into a Category 3 as it approached Cuba the following day.

A​nother bout of rapid intensification occurred once Ian tracked into the southeast Gulf of Mexico. That's where the hurricane became a strong Category 4 packing 155 mph winds on the morning of Sept. 28 as it neared landfall in southwest Florida.

I​an weakened to a tropical storm by the time it reached Florida's Atlantic waters, but then became a Category 1 hurricane before making a final landfall in South Carolina on Sept. 30.

Ian's Landfalls

I​an made its first landfall as a Category 3 in western Cuba on Sept. 27. Damage was widespread in Cuba's westernmost province, Pinar del Río, and the island was plunged into a nationwide power outage.

The eye of Ian made its second landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida, around 3:05 p.m. EDT on Sept. 28. Maximum sustained winds were estimated to be near 150 mph, making it a strong Category 4.

This is the exact same point where Hurricane Charley made landfall in 2004 as a Category 4. Both hurricanes had winds of 150 mph at landfall.

This landfall is tied for the fourth strongest landfall by wind speed for a hurricane in Florida, according to Phil Klotzbach, a tropical scientist at Colorado State University.

Hurricane Ian made its third landfall at 4:35 p.m. in Pirate Harbor, Florida, or just south of Punta Gorda, with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph.

Ian made its fourth and final landfall near Georgetown, South Carolina, on Sept. 30 with winds of 85 mph.

Wind

Winds gusted from 40 to 80 mph in Key West Sept. 27-28, where Ian also produced the third highest storm surge in over 100 years.

The highest wind gust was 140 mph in Cape Coral, Florida, on Sept. 28. The highest sustained winds reported were 115 mph at a private weather station near Port Charlotte, Florida. That station also recorded a wind gust of 132 mph.

Winds gusted over 100 mph in Punta Gorda, Florida, for 30 minutes in the 4 p.m. hour on Sept. 28 and continued to report wind gusts over 100 mph into the evening.

Here are some of the most significant gusts:

Additionally, winds gusted to 126 mph at Redfish Pass, 112 mph at the Naples Grande Beach Resort, and 107 mph near Sanibel Island.

Some gusts topped 70 mph in central and northeast Florida, including in Daytona Beach and Orlando. Winds gusted to 89 mph at an elevated tower at Kennedy Space Center. Some gusts over 50 mph were clocked in Gainesville and Jacksonville.

On Sept. 30, an elevated WeatherFlow sensor near Charleston reported a 92 mph gust. Fort Sumter, South Carolina, measured a gust to 85 mph. F​olly Beach, South Carolina, saw wind gusts up to 73 mph.

S​tronger gusts made it as far north as southern Virginia, where an 80 mph gust was clocked at Cape Henry while Norfolk measured a 68 mph gust.

Surge

Water levels reached up to the top of first floor homes in Fort Myers Beach. This tweet shows the vantage point from the second floor in Fort Myers Beach.

S​torm surge heights in areas like hard-hit Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island won't be known until official surveys are done.

In Fort Myers proper, however, storm surge was over 7 feet with high tide. Previously the highest storm surge was 3.36 feet MHHW during Hurricane Gabrielle in 2001.

Meanwhile, winds blowing offshore produced a blowout tide in Tampa Bay. Water levels were around 8 feet below average near the Port of Tampa.

T​he combination of storm surge and rainfall around high tide sent feet of water into St. Augustine on Sept. 29, with water reportedly entering homes, according to the National Weather Service. St. Augustine Fire Rescue reported water levels were higher in the city than seen during Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

I​n the Carolinas, water levels rose early on Friday, Sept. 30, along the northern South Carolina coast and into North Carolina.

W​ater levels were over 5 feet higher than usual in Myrtle Beach.

S​ignificant storm surge flooding was also reported on Pawley's Island.

Rainfall

E​xtreme rain triggered major flooding in parts of central Florida, prompting a flash flood emergency for the north side of the Orlando metro area near the Little Wekiva River. Orlando shattered its all-time 24-hour rainfall record, picking up 12.49 inches from 8 a.m. Sept. 28 through 8 a.m. Sept. 29, according to weather historian, Christopher Burt.

Here's a look at some of the flooding reports across Florida.

Heavy rain from Ian's track across Florida sent some rivers in the Florida Peninsula to major, even record flood levels. Widespread flooding occurred on Thursday, Sept. 29 in the greater Orlando metro area.

The Peace River topped a record crest from 1933 at Zolfo Springs, about 60 miles north of Ft. Myers. Record flooding was also recorded on the Little Wekiva River near Altamonte Springs on Orlando's north side, Shingle Creek at Campbell and Horse Creek near Arcadia, Florida.

I​an's last landfall in South Carolina also brought flooding rains to the Carolinas and Virginia. Here is a look at some of the reports.

I​n areas near Charleston, South Carolina 10.75 inches of rain was recorded. The highest rain report out of North Carolina was 8.10 inches near Williston.

More from weather.com:

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T​he Florida Peninsula's Luck Since Hurricane Irma Won't Last

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