Hurricane Ian: Massive storm makes landfall on southwest coast of Florida

BRINGS A DANGEROUS STORM SURGE AND POWERFUL WINDS ONSHORE. GOOD ONSHORE. GOOD AFTERNOON, I’M RYAN YAMIMOTO. IAN IS ONE OF THE THE STRONGEST HURRICANES TO HIT FLORIDA EVER, AND ITS IMPACTS ARE WIDE. THIS IS A LIVE LOOK NEAR TAMPA. MORE THAN 100 MILES AWAY FROM THE EYE OF THE STORM. HURRICANE IAN’S WINDS NEAR CATEGORY 5 STRENGTH, SITTING AT 155 MILES PER HOUR. YOU CAN SEE IN SOME OF THE MONSTER STORM HERE BRINGING FLOODING ALONG WITH IT. JASON ALLEN HAS THE LATEST REPORT FROM TAMPA. A FIRE AND FLOODED STREETS IN NAPLES, FLORIDA, AS THE POWERFUL POWERFUL STORM

PUMMELED THE STATE WITH STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS. IT IS GOING TO HAVE MAJOR, MAJOR RAIN AND FLOODING. SO THIS IS GOING TO BE A NASTY, NASTY DAY, TWO DAYS. ARE REAL. THE EVACUATION NOTICES NOTICES ARE REAL. Reporter: THE STORM DAMAGED NEIGHBORHOODS, INCLUDING IN POEM BROKE PINES, NORTH OF MIAMI. IN DAVY, DOWNED TREES AND OTHER DEBRIS. MORE THAN 2.5 MILLION PEOPLE WERE UNDER MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDERS. TO LEAVE. Reporter: I URGE THOSE WHO HAVE SHELTERED IN PLACE TO STAY INDOORS AND STAY OFF THE ROADS. Reporter: THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER WARNED OF STORM CENTERS FEET FOR SOME

COASTAL AREAS. OFFICIALS IN CHARLOTTE COUNTY BRACED FOR A A DIRECT HIT. WE ARE BEGINNING TO SEE SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS, OF OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE AGENCIES HAVE BEEN

PULLED FROM THE ROAD AND ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO RESPOND. THERE ARE ALREADY REPORTS OF POWER OUTAGES AND OFFICIALS WARNED BE OUT FOR DAYS. THE STATE AND FEMA SAY THEY ARE READY TO HELP AS SOON AS THE STORM MOVES OUT. WE HAVE MOVED IN A VARIETY OF GENERATORS AND THE SUITS COAST GUARD URGED PEOPLE TO BE CAUTIOUS AS IT ANSWERS SEVERAL CALLS FOR HELP THIS MORNING FOR PEOPLE

IN KEY STORM. JASON ALLEN. CBS NEWS, TAMPA. Reporter: AND FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS SAYS THE STATE HAS 30,000 LINEMEN AND 7000 NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS ON STANDBY TO HELP WITH THE RECOVERY ONCE THE STORM MOVES THROUGH. WE WANT TO BRING IN FIRST ALERT METEOROLOGIST JESSICA BURCH ON THIS STORM. THE WINDS ARE EVEN BIGGER. I MEAN WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE WIND, THAT IS HOW WE BREAKDOWN CATEGORIES AND HURRICANES. 157MILES A CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE. CURRENT CONDITIONS WE ARE SITTING AT 155. YOU SEE HOW WE ARE FLIRTING FLIRTING WITH UPPER NUMBERS. MUPPETLESS, AS WE LOOK, THIS IS

ABOUT A 35 MILES PER HOUR GAP RIGHT THERE WITH THAT EYE. SO IT IS A VERY STRONG VERY STRONG SYSTEM JUST MAKING LANDFALL THERE. WE ARE KEEPING A A CLOSE EYE ON THE WEATHER CENTER. THE STORM RATCHED UP ITS INTENSITY. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? RAPID INTENSIFICATION. THAT IS THE STUDY OF STRONGER STORMS WHEN THEY OR 5. A LOT OF THINGS PLAYED INTO THIS. THE SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES ARE WELL ABOVE AVERAGE. ALLOWING IT TO FUEL THE STRONG THAT, WIND SHEAR WOULD DESTROY THE SYSTEM RIGHT NOW. BUT WE ARE NOT SEEING THAT PLAY A FACTOR TO. IT

IS RAMPING UP AS IT PUSHES ITS WAY INTO FLORIDA. IS TO OUR FRIENDS IN FLORIDA, WHEN IS GOING TO GOT THIS SYSTEM TO GOT THIS SYSTEM TO FINALLY WEAKEN. BIG THINGS MAKING LANDFALL THAT INEVITABLY WEAKENED THAT SYSTEM. TO ADD TO THAT WIND SHEAR WAS A BIG WAS A BIG FACTOR. COOLER SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES. WE ARE COMING OFF THE SUMMER MONTHS. THE TEMPERATURES ARE WARM THAT PAST HURRICANE PUSHED A LITTLE BIT AWAY FROM THIS CORRECTION, SO IT CORRECTION, SO IT DIDN’T IMPACT THE WE ARE SEEING THIS CONTINUE TO RAPIDLY INTENSIFY AS IT PUSHES ITS WAY ALL

INTO FLORIDA. THANK YOU, JESSICA FOR THAT INSIGHT. JUST TO GIVE YOU A PICTURE WHAT HAVE FLORIDA IS DEALING WITH, AS YOU LOOK AT THE IMAGES OF IAN RIGHT HERE, THE 155 MILES PER HOUR WINDS DO HOLD. THIS WILL BE THE FIFTH STRONGEST STORM ON RECORD TO HIT THE U.S. ONLY 14 CATEGORY 4 OR 5 HURRICANES HAVE HIT FLORIDA SINCE 1851. THIS IS FLORIDA HISTORY. HURRICANE ANDREW AS WE REMEMBER CAUSED 23 DEATHS BACK IN 1992. WE HAVE A LINK