Hurricane Ian

This article is about the Atlantic hurricane in 2022. For other storms of the same name, see List of storms named Ian.

Hurricane Ian
Ian at peak intensity while approaching southwest Florida on September 28
Meteorological history
FormedSeptember 23, 2022
ExtratropicalSeptember 30, 2022
DissipatedOctober 1, 2022
Category 5 major hurricane
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds160 mph (260 km/h)
Lowest pressure937 mbar (hPa); 27.67 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities161 (69 direct, 92 indirect)
Missing13
Damage$113 billion (2022 USD)
(Third-costliest tropical cyclone on record; costliest in Florida history)
Areas affectedTrinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Colombia, ABC islands, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Southeast United States (especially Florida and The Carolinas)
IBTrACSEdit this at Wikidata / [1][2][3]
Part of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Ian was a devastating tropical cyclone which was the third costliest weather disaster on record worldwide, the deadliest hurricane to strike the state of Florida since the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, and the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Michael in 2018.[4][5] Ian caused widespread damage across western Cuba, Florida, and the Carolinas. Ian was the ninth named storm, fourth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, and was the first Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic since Lorenzo in 2019.[6]

Ian originated from a tropical wave that moved off the coast of West Africa and across the central tropical Atlantic towards the Windward Islands. The wave moved into the Caribbean Sea on September 21 bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to Trinidad and Tobago, the ABC islands, and the northern coast of South America. On the morning of September 23, the wave had enough organization to be designated as a tropical depression, after which it strengthened into Tropical Storm Ian early the next day while it was southeast of Jamaica. As Ian rapidly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane, it made landfall in western Cuba. Heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding across the area resulting in a nationwide power outage. Ian lost a minimal amount of strength while over land and soon re-strengthened while over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. It peaked as a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) early on September 28, while progressing towards the west coast of Florida, and made landfall just below peak intensity in Southwest Florida on Cayo Costa Island.[1] In doing so, Ian tied with several other storms to become the 5th-strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the contiguous U.S.[7] After moving inland, Ian quickly weakened to a tropical storm before moving back offshore into the Atlantic. There it re-strengthened to become a hurricane once again before making its final landfall in South Carolina on September 30. Ian became an extratropical cyclone shortly after landfall and fully dissipated by early the next day.

Hurricane Ian caused 161 fatalities: 5 in Cuba,[3] 150 in Florida,[8][a] 5 in North Carolina,[10] and 1 in Virginia.[11] Ian caused catastrophic damage with losses estimated to be around $113 billion, making it the costliest hurricane in Florida's history, surpassing Irma of 2017, as well as the third-costliest in U.S. history, behind only Katrina of 2005 and Harvey of 2017 respectively.[12][13] Much of the damage was from flooding brought about by a storm surge of 10–15 ft (3.0–4.6 m).[14] The cities of Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and Naples were particularly hard hit, leaving millions without power in the storm's wake and numerous inhabitants forced to take refuge on their roofs. Sanibel Island, Fort Myers Beach, and Pine Island bore the brunt of Ian's powerful winds and its accompanying storm surge at landfall, which leveled thousands of standing structures in the region and collapsed the Sanibel Causeway and the Pine Island Causeway to Pine Island, entrapping those left on the islands for several days.

  1. ^ a b Bucci, Lisa; Alaka, Laura; Hagen, Andrew; Delgao, Sandy; Beven, Jack (April 3, 2023). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Ian (PDF) (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  2. ^ "Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters". National Centers for Environmental Information. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Huracán Ian causó estragos en Cuba con cinco muertos y más de 100,000 viviendas destruidas" [Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc in Cuba with five deaths and more than 100,000 homes destroyed]. El Diario Nueva York (in Spanish). New York City. Deutsche Welle. October 2, 2022. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  4. ^ Finch, Allison (October 3, 2022). "Florida faces grim reality: Hurricane Ian is deadliest storm in state since 1935". AccuWeather. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  5. ^ Masters, Jeff; Henson, Bob (January 10, 2023). "The U.S. had 18 different billion-dollar weather disasters in 2022". New Haven, Connecticut: Yale Climate Connections. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  6. ^ Stillman, Dan (April 3, 2023). "Upon further review, Hurricane Ian peaked as a rare Category 5". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  7. ^ Masters, Jeff; Henson, Bob (September 28, 2022). "Ian smashes into southwest Florida with historic force". Yale Climate Connections. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Update: Florida Medical Examiners Commission Hurricane Ian deaths". Florida Department of Law Enforcement. February 3, 2023. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  9. ^ "Many of Hurricane Ian's Victims Were Older Adults Who Drowned". The New York Times. October 7, 2022. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  10. ^ Vera, Amir; Santiago, Leyla; Brown, Will; Salahieh, Nouran (October 6, 2022). "More than a week after Hurricane Ian, Florida residents frustrated with state and federal response". CNN. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  11. ^ Smith, Stephen; Calvan, Bobby Caina (October 7, 2022). "Ian evacuees return to mud, rubble as death toll hits 101". AP News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ian_NOAAdamage was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2023)". NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2023). January 20, 2023. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  14. ^ Masters, Jeff (October 27, 2022). "How sea level rise contributes to billions in extra damage during hurricanes". New Haven, Connecticut: Yale Climate Connections. Archived from the original on October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.


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