In anticipation of intensifying into a devastating Category 4 storm before making landfall in Florida on Wednesday, Hurricane Ian tore into western Cuba on Tuesday before barreling toward the state. Officials in Florida issued an evacuation order for 2.5 million people.
At 4:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Ian made landfall in Cuba's Pinar del Rio province, where authorities quickly dispatched emergency services, built up 55 shelters, moved 50,000 people, and protected crops in the nation's primary tobacco-growing region.
The hurricane made landfall in Cuba with top sustained winds of 205 km/h, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, causing "severe wind and storm surge impacts."
Ian is anticipated to intensify as it moves toward southwest Florida over the warm Gulf of Mexico. On Wednesday, when the storm's eye is forecast to make landfall, winds are projected to be at hurricane force across the southern peninsula.
Although it is still unclear exactly where Ian will smash onshore, the damage is anticipated across a significant portion of Florida.
According to NHC officials, Hurricane Ian had maximum sustained winds of almost 120 mph (195 kph) as of Tuesday afternoon and was moving toward the north at a speed of around 10 mph (17 kph).
According to the New York Times, Florida state officials issued evacuation orders for some coastal regions after heavy rainfall was already reported in some areas of the state.
Mission management at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral on Florida's east coast ordered the Artemis 1 moon rocket to be brought back into its Vehicle Assembly Building so that it could take cover within the enormous 52-story hangar from the approaching storm.
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