Hurricane Ian will likely slow down and sit in the Gulf. That’s good and bad news.
All eyes are on the Caribbean Monday as Hurricane Ian barrels toward the U.S. The hurricane is expected to continue its north-northwestward path for about a day before a cold front drives it northeastward toward Florida in the middle of the week.
The cold front may be good news to the Mississippi Coast, but it raises concerns for Florida.
“An even greater concern is the slower forward motion that is forecast during this period,” the National Hurricane Center said in a recent update.
As the front meets Ian, the hurricane’s steering currents will weaken and it will sit in the Gulf as hurricane winds continuously hit the Florida coast, prolonging storm surges, wind and rainfall.
The shore parallel track of the storm has made it difficult for the NHC to predict where it will land. At the moment, the hurricane is expected to stall just west of Tampa, Florida. Ian is in a period of rapid intensification and will be a major hurricane in the Gulf.
“It’s a bad thing for Tampa, especially. There’s already mandatory evacuations in place,” said National Weather Service New Orleans Meteorologist Phil Grigsby. “It’s going to push a lot [and] exacerbate inland flooding issues. The projection is up to 10-foot surges.”
The stall could have some positive effects. Grigsby said Ian will slowly weaken as it stirs up cold water from the depths of the Gulf. He predicted the hurricane would remain a Category 4 and drop to a Category 3 just as it hits land.
Grigsby said the Mississippi Coast is “on the dry side of the system.”
Still, boaters should take precautions as Ian sends wind gusts up to 25 miles per hour.
“If you’re going to be offshore beyond Ship Island, there’s going to be some very large waves,” said Grigsby. “Once you get into the sound, it’s going to be a little more protected.”
This story was originally published September 26, 2022 at 1:16 PM.
