Ian: The Most Powerful Storm Ever to Hit the U.S. Mainland

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Florida, North and South Carolina faced a massive clean-up on Saturday from the destruction wrought by Hurricane Ian, after one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S. mainland caused tens of billions of dollars in damage and killed more than 20 people, according to Reuters.

Ian, now a post-tropical cyclone, was weakening but still forecast to bring treacherous conditions to parts of the Carolinas, Virginia and West Virginia into Saturday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.

“Major to record river flooding will continue across central Florida through next week. Limited flash, urban and small stream flooding is possible across the central Appalachians and the southern Mid-Atlantic this weekend, with minor river flooding expected over the coastal Carolinas,” advises the National Hurricane Center.

The Category 4 major hurricane struck Florida’s Gulf Coast near Fort Meyers on Wednesday, with wind speeds of 150 mph, turning beach towns into disaster areas. And after landfall, it brought devastating winds and floods across Central Florida on Thursday.

Ian exhibited a larger wind field and radius of maximum winds than previous hurricanes. And, Ian tracked slowly across Florida after landfall, amplifying the effects of wind and water.

On Friday, Category 1 hurricane pummeled waterfront Georgetown, north of the historic city of Charleston in South Carolina, with wind speeds of 85 mph.

Roads were flooded and blocked by trees while a number of piers were damaged.

Around 1.7 million homes and businesses were without power in the Carolinas and Florida at 8:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, according to tracking website PowerOutage.us.

References:

  1. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/florida-carolinas-count-cost-one-worst-us-hurricanes-2022-10-01/
  2. https://www.rms.com/blog/2022/09/29/hurricane-ian-strongest-hurricane-in-southwest-florida-since-2004
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