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Ian on track to strike Florida as major hurricane Wednesday, could bring rain for days over central NC
RALEIGH, N.C. — Central and eastern North Carolina are bracing for possibly detrimental impacts from Hurricane Ian late this week.
Tuesday, Sept. 27
Hurricane Ian blasted across Cuba as a major Category 3 storm on Tuesday. The models bring the storm ashore again in southwestern Florida, through central Florida and on a track through Georgia and the Carolinas through the weekend.
Heavy, steady rain is expected to being in the Triangle on Friday and could linger into Monday.
Hurricane Ian a rainmaker for central NC
The strength of Hurricane Ian, by then likely a post-tropical cyclone, will be felt in North Carolina Friday night and Saturday.
Heavy rain will slow the Friday evening commute, according to the latest model plots, and high school football games across the state have been shifted to avoid the downpour.
Showers will continue Sunday, according to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner. Wind gusts will be strongest throughout the day on Friday.
“It’s definitely looking like a wet weekend for us,” Gardner said. “It’s also going to be windy. Our maximum wind gusts as we get into Friday could reach 35 mph.”
Central North Carolina could experience pockets of heavy rain, with up to 3 to 7 inches possible, gusty winds and isolated tornadoes all during day on Saturday. Rain will likely linger into Monday morning.
Up to 5 inches of rain will be possible in coastal communities, with isolated totals reaching 10 inches.
The mountains of North Carolina near the Blue Ridge Parkway are also expected to experience heavy rain with the chance for landslides and up to 7 inches of rain.
“We are concerned about the risk of localized flooding, mountain flash flooding, and on the coast, river and inland flooding,” said William Ray, North Carolina’s new director of emergency management.
The best chance for isolated severe storms will likely be Saturday afternoon and evening, WRAL’s Severe Weather Team says.
Ian’s remnants could be moving into the N.C. mountains by late Saturday night into Sunday.
Because Hurricane Ian is expected to stall over Tampa on Thursday, it’s possible that rain could linger in central North Carolina on Monday. But that will all depend on how long the storm stays in Florida this week.
Updated models on Tuesday at 2 p.m. show Ian shifting a bit to the East. Some of the models are taking Ian back over the Atlantic Ocean, where the storm could strengthen again before making landfall for a third time.
“I think our impacts stay the same,” said WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth. “No matter what we’re going to have a lot of rain.”
Winds are not strong enough to cause widespread power outages, Wilmoth said.
Ian hits Cuba, landfall expected in Florida
Ian on Tuesday was upgraded to a major hurricane at 4:45 a.m. with winds at 115 mph. Cuba was already experiencing heavy rain as Ian made landfall along the western coast, and high storm surge and wind damage will also create dangerous conditions.
Ian will strengthen into a Category 4 storm on Wednesday before weakening due to drier air. A second landfall is expected for Florida near Tampa late Wednesday or Thursday morning, possibility as a Category 2 or 3 storm.
The latest track takes the center just south of Tampa Bay making landfall as a major hurricane late Wednesday night.
After making landfall, models show the storm is going to “stall near the Tampa Bay for hours upon hours,” according to meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth.
Central Florida, Gainesville and Orlando could get several inches of rain, including some isolated areas receiving up to two feet of rain.
“This is not great news for Tampa,” WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said. “A couple of days ago, it looked like the storm would probably make landfall somewhere on the west coast of Florida as a Category 1. [Now] it looks like early in the morning on Thursday with 120 mph winds. So not only is there going to be huge storm surge and a lot of heavy rain, but also very strong winds.”
According to Gardner, storm surge in Florida could be 5 to 10 feet, especially around Tampa Bay. Between 8 and 10 inches of rain will be likely with isolated pockets of up to 15 inches of rain possible.
The Orlando International Airport announced on Tuesday afternoon that they would be closing at 10:30 on Wednesday morning due to the hurricane. About 140 outgoing flights at the Tampa International Airport were grounded on Tuesday morning. After 5 p.m. on Tuesday, all airport operations in Tampa would be stopped.
It’s not clear when the Tampa airport would reopen, according to John Tiliacos, the executive vice president of airport operations.
St. Pete-Clearwater Airport said on Monday that its last flights would leave the airport on Tuesday morning.
Monday, Sept. 26
Floridians were already evacuating to N.C., and Duke Energy was preparing to respond to power outages.
Ian is expected to impact three of the six states Duke Energy serves. Jeff Brooks, a Duke Energy spokesperson, told WRAL News crews will stay local until they are positive they are not needed before deploying elsewhere to help.
Crews from Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio are also available to assist workers in the Carolinas and Florida.
Laura Albright, a St. Pete Beach resident, was at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Monday. Albright, who lives right on the beach, said she evacuated to N.C. to stay with her friend in Wake Forest.
Sunday, Sept. 25
Hardware stores across the Triangle were fully stocked ahead of Hurricane Ian. Some of the most popular items that go quickly when any storms threaten include batteries, flashlights and extension cords.
Officials in Raleigh are keeping a cautious eye on Hurricane Ian as it charges toward Cuba and Florida.
Stormwater crews were ramping up efforts Monday to reduce the impacts of Hurricane Ian throughout the city. They started lowering lake levels at Lake Johnson in anticipation of heavy rainfall.
Crews told WRAL News if they don’t control water levels at Lake Johnson, all that water rushes downstream and hits flood-prone areas like Rose Lane.
Heavy rain and whipping winds from major storms have resulted in fierce flooding in parts of the city like Rose Lane where Walnut Creek flows through.
“What we’re trying to do is lower the lake levels to try to capture as much rainfall runoff as we can to try to help prevent flooding downstream,” said Kelly Daniel, the flood early warning system project manager for the city of Raleigh.
Daniel said it’s a proactive measure to keep residents in those flood-prone areas safe.
Officials said if you are in the vicinity of flood plains keep an eye on the forecasts and never drive through a flooded area.
Duke Energy ready to respond to power outages
Another area of concern with any possible weather event is power outages.
Duke Energy said that before it sends crews to help Florida, is has to make sure there are enough crews to help North Carolina in case the situation worsens. Duke Energy said it expects to have a better idea of storm impacts in North Carolina over the next few days.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross is often among the first to respond after storms roll through an area.
“We have two concerns: supporting our team on tour in the north Florida gulf coast area where the storm may indeed impact. So we prepare and send some qualified individuals there,” said Barry Porter with the American Red Cross, Eastern NC Region. “At the same time, we’re doing hold-downs and evaluating where our own people are so if something does happen in the Carolinas we can also respond.”
Porter said the most important thing is to find and seek safe shelter, have a supply kit ready to go and to be weather weary after the event.