Florida is once again in the cross hairs of another hurricane. This one is known as Ian. The storm was officially categorized as a hurricane early on Monday and it continues to grow stronger as it crosses the Caribbean toward Cuba and Florida.

Formed as a tropical storm on Friday, September 23^rd in the Caribbean, it is expected to be a Category 3 hurricane once on land. Florida governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 24 counties. He also requested a federal emergency declaration prior to landfall because that would free up funding sources for emergency protective measures.

The counties affected include Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, and St. Lucie.

The National Weather Service issued a hurricane watch along the west coast of Florida from North of Englewood to the Anclote River, including Tampa Bay.

Heavy rains, strong winds, flash flooding, storm surge and isolated tornadoes are forecasted.

Prior to the designation of the name Ian, the storm was known as Tropical Depression Nine that pummeled rain and caused mudslides in Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. It dropped more heavy rains on Jamaica and the Cayman Islands the next day.

As of today, Monday, September 26, the storm as moving northwest at 14 mph, about 90 miles southwest of Grand Cayman, reported the National Hurricane Center. It includes sustained winds of 75 mph.

A meteorologist with AccuWeather said that the storm would gain more strength as it moves into the Western Caribbean, where wind shear is low and the water is very warm.

The storm could reach Category 4 status, which means it is sustaining winds of from 130 mph to 156 mph.

It is predicted that it will emerge over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, pass west of the Florida Keys late on Tuesday and approach the west coast of Florida on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service warned that a Category 4 hurricane can cause “catastrophic” damage and cautioned that power outages could last for weeks or even months. Area could be uninhabitable for weeks or months, said the National Weather Service.

The weather service also warned residents to expect heavy rainfall in North Florida, eastern portions of the Florida Panhandle and sections of the Southeast, and mid-Atlantic regions into next weekend. Flooding is possible mid-to-late week in central Florida due to already saturated conditions. Flash and urban flooding is possible with rainfall across the Florida Keys and the Florida peninsula through mid-week.

It is somewhat rare for hurricanes to make landfall in Western Florida. The U.S. database indicates that nearly 160 hurricanes, not including tropical storms, have affected Florida. Only 17 have made landfall on the west coasts north of the Florida Keys.

Most storms normally journey northeast or northwest, not up the coasts. There is no record of a hurricane ever having tracked entirely up the west coast of Florida since records were first taken in 1944. Yet, Ian may take a very unusual track.

According to poweroutage.us, as of 11:26 a.m. on Monday, September 26, 2022, the worst outages were occurring in:

• Puerto Rico 613,498
• Texas 5,400
• Virginia 5,350
• Florida 4,948
• Michigan 4,868

Tropical storms and hurricanes as well as other severe weather can ravage anywhere on the planet. It is best to be prepared. A purchase of a standby generator can provide you with peace of mind as you home or business are protected against outages and you and your family can comfortably survive a severe weather occurrence.

APElectric offers a plethora of standby generators made by some of the most popular manufacturers in the business. These devices include Wi-Fi so that you can monitor their condition by simply using a smartphone regardless of where you happen to be. Generators are also programmed to turn on and provide energy the moment local utilities are knocked off the grid. Visit the company’s website to review all the generators they have available and learn how to select the right generator for your particular situation.