The National Hurricane Center reported at 8 am:
At 800 AM EDT (1200 UTC), the center of Hurricane Ian was located
near latitude 18.7 North, longitude 82.4 West. Ian is moving toward
the northwest near 14 mph (22 km/h). A turn toward the
north-northwest is expected later today, followed by a northward
motion on Tuesday with a slightly slower forward speed. A turn
toward the north-northeast is forecast on Tuesday night or early
Wednesday.
On the forecast track, the center of Ian is expected to
pass near or west of the Cayman Islands today, and near or over
western Cuba tonight and early Tuesday. Ian will then emerge over
the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, pass west of the Florida
Keys late Tuesday, and approach the west coast of Florida on
Wednesday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 75 mph (120 km/h) with higher
gusts. Rapid strengthening is expected during the next day or so,
and Ian is forecast to become a major hurricane tonight when it is
near western Cuba.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 15 miles (30 km) from
the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90
miles (150 km).
The estimated minimum central pressure is 981 mb (28.97 inches)
based on dropsonde data from the NOAA and Air Force Hurricane
Hunters.
Escambia County Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore said our EOC hasn’t been activated but he is meeting with all the partners at 11:30 am this morning.
