ALERT #8 ON HURRICANE IAN ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY, WEDNESDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER, 2022 AT 3 PM EDT.
... IAN CAUSING CATASTROPHIC STORM SURGE, WINDS, AND FLOODING IN THE FLORIDA PENINSULA….
…WINDS GUSTING TO NEAR GALE FORCE IN BIMINI AND GRAND BAHAMA WHILE RAINBANDS CONTINUE TO SPREAD ACROSS THE NORTHWEST AND PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS…
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF GRAND BAHAMA AND THE BIMINIS.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS COULD BE EXPERIENCED IN THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 36 HOURS.
AT 2 PM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IAN WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.6 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 82.3 DEGREES WEST,
ABOUT:
25 MILES WEST-NORTHWEST OF FORT MEYERS FLORIDA
195 MILES NORTHWEST OF ALICE TOWN, BIMINI
225 MILES WEST- FREEPORT, GRAND BAHAMA
285 MILES NORTHWEST OF NICHOLL’S TOWN, ANDROS
320 MILES NORTHWEST OF NEW PROVIDENCE.
HURRICANE IAN IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 9 MPH. THIS GENERAL MOTION WITH A REDUCTION IN FORWARD SPEED IS FORECAST TODAY, FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST ON THURSDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF IAN IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ONSHORE, MOVE OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING AND EMERGE OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC BY LATE THURSDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 155 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IAN IS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. IAN IS PRESENTLY MAKING LANDFALL ON THE WEST COAST OF FLORIDA. WEAKENING IS EXPECTED AFTER LANDFALL, BUT IAN COULD BE NEAR HURRICANE STRENGTH WHEN IT MOVES OVER THE FLORIDA EAST COAST TOMORROW.
HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 45 MILES FROM THE CENTER
AND TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES. THE POSSIBILITY OF SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS, THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING, STILL REMAINS FOR RESIDENTS IN GRAND BAHAMA AND THE BIMINIS. RESIDENTS IN THE REMAINDER OF THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS, INCLUDING ABACO, BERRY ISLANDS, ANDROS, NEW PROVIDENCE AND ELEUTHERA, COULD EXPERIENCE WINDS GUSTING TO GALE-FORCE DURING THE SAID PERIOD.
RAINBANDS ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE IAN WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE ISLANDS OF THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS THROUGH THURSDAY. RESIDENTS IN THESE ISLANDS SHOULD EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION AS THESE RAINBANDS WILL BRING HEAVY RAIN, SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS, GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLE TORNADIC ACTIVITY.
TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES ARE EXPECTED WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF UP TO 8 INCHES THROUGH FRIDAY. AS A RESULT, SEVERE LOCALIZED FLOODING IS POSSIBLE IN LOW-LYING AND FLOOD-PRONE AREAS.
