ORLANDO, Fla. — Ian’s winds strengthened to 75 mph Thursday afternoon, meaning the storm is once again a hurricane.
This is a breaking news update. Below is an earlier version of this report.
Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida on Wednesday as a strong Category 4 hurricane, carrying the threat of strong winds, dangerous storm surges and even tornadoes.
After traveling north through the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Ian made landfall along the southwest coast of Florida around 3:05 pm ET as a Category 4 storm, with sustained winds near of 150 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
It made landfall near Cayo Costa, an island off the coast of Fort Myers. The storm was approaching Category 5 strength as it headed toward the coast.
Projected path and spaghetti model
The storm has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, with winds of 70 mph by noon Thursday. It is located near the east coast of Florida and is returning to the water near the Kennedy Space Center.
Ian is expected to re-intensify over the Atlantic and become at least a Category 1 hurricane as it approaches the South Carolina coast near Charleston on Friday morning. Landfall is expected around noon.
Weather warnings now extend to four states, from Florida to North Carolina. A hurricane watch has been issued for the entire coast of South Carolina and a tropical storm watch has been issued for North Carolina.
Storm waves
Parts of Florida have reported a record storm surge, and life-threatening storm surge remains a risk as Ian moves north. Charleston, South Carolina could see storm surges at least 7 feet high.
Rainfall
Much of the Florida peninsula and along the coast into South Carolina is expected to receive more than half a foot of rain over the coming weekend. Up to 10 inches is forecast from Charleston to the North Carolina border.
Up to 6 inches are also possible in parts of North Carolina and southern New Jersey.
Some of the heavy rain will reach Philadelphia and the New York City area Saturday morning, with 2 to 3 inches of rain possible locally.
extreme wind
Sustained winds could exceed 115 mph in some parts. As Ian moves north, tropical storm force winds could reach the coast of Georgia and South Carolina. Tropical storm watches have been issued for Savannah and near Charleston.
tornado watch
Tornadoes are possible as Ian moves north across Florida. At least three were reported in South Florida Tuesday night as the storm approached. A tornado watch remained in effect for east-central Florida Wednesday evening.
ABC-owned television stations contributed to this report.
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