Hurricane Ian is definitely one of the strongest Hurricanes to hit SW Florida and it MAY go down as hitting shore as a CAT 5. New info is saying that there have been "unconfirmed" reports of sustained winds at 158mph at landfall which would put it at CAT 5. We shall see if those reports can be confirmed. Either way, it's a catastrophic hurricane. Damage I'm sure will be in the BILLIONS. How does this rate to a few of the strongest hurricanes to hit the US?
Hurricane Andrew 1992 Direct hit on Miami as a CAT 5 with $27 Billion in damage and 23 fatalities
Hurricane Katrina 2005 Direct hit on New Orleans as a CAT 5 $125 Billion in damage and 1833 fatalities
Although every hurricane is different, Ian will definitely leave an everlasting footprint on the SW Florida coast and through the Florida peninsula
Chief Meteorologist,
Dean Wysocki