Hurricane Ian hits Florida as a powerful Category 4 storm

Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwestern Florida on Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4. This powerful storm crashed into the coast with winds of 150 mph, and is tied for fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the United States. Meteorologists said flash floods are possible across the entire state, and warned of dangerous storm surge. The federal government sent millions of meals and liters of water to Florida to distribute once Ian has passed, and President Biden promised to “help you clean up and rebuild, to help Florida get moving again. And we’ll be there every step of the way. That’s my absolute commitment to the people of the state of Florida.”

This article is being updated with the latest news and information on Hurricane Ian. All times are Eastern.

6:35 p.m. — More than 1.5 million people across Florida are without electricity, PowerOutage.us reports. The extreme winds have knocked down power lines in several cities, including Naples.

6:28 p.m. Hurricane Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa on the southwestern coast of Florida at 3:05 p.m. ET, in “exactly the same location [Hurricane] Charley did in 2004,” The Weather Channel’s Jonathan Erdman tweeted. “Unreal!” Both hurricanes made landfall with 150 mph winds, while Charley had 941 mb pressure and Ian had 940 mb pressure.

Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwestern Florida on Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4. This powerful storm crashed into the coast with winds of 150 mph, and is tied for fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the United States. Meteorologists said flash floods are possible across the entire state, and warned of dangerous storm surge. The…

Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwestern Florida on Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4. This powerful storm crashed into the coast with winds of 150 mph, and is tied for fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the United States. Meteorologists said flash floods are possible across the entire state, and warned of dangerous storm surge. The…