The storm was forecast "to bring damaging winds, a life-threatening storm surge and flooding rains to portions of west-central Mexico today," the U.S. National Hurricane Center said at 12 a.m. Sunday.
"The flooding has been catastrophic," the police department on Pawleys Island, S.C., said around midday. As the storm arrived, the state was under 85 weather alerts.
The storm has landed in South Carolina after devastating southwest and central Florida. Ian brought heavy rain, high winds and flooding along South Carolina coast, causing damage in some areas.
The hurricane, located miles southeast of Orlando, was losing strength as it made its way across Florida. It was carrying maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.
Such massive storms are fairly rare, and it's even more rare for them to make landfall. NOAA says that for such storms, "catastrophic damage will occur" with electricity outages "for weeks or months."
The National Weather Service's Joel Cline wants residents to know when danger is coming. But he adds, "If people think of a hurricane as a dot and a city as a dot, I think they've missed the point."
The weather system currently churning south of Jamaica is projected to intensify into a hurricane in the coming days. Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in Florida.
"Things are all upside-down," making it hard for hurricanes to form, an expert says. But experts warn not to assume there's less risk just because the first months of hurricane season have been calm.
For decades, it was impossible to say that a specific weather event was caused, or even made worse, by climate change. But advanced research methods are changing that.
Federal forecasters expect more hurricanes than usual this year. Climate change is driving larger, more destructive storms. This is the seventh year in a row with an above-average forecast.
Federal forecasters expect more hurricanes than usual this year. Climate change is driving larger, more destructive storms. This is the seventh year in a row with an above-average forecast.
Human-induced climate change fueled one of the most active hurricane seasons on record in 2020, with rainfall totals up to 10% higher than in the pre-industrial era, according to a new study.
