MIAMI — Hurricane Ian’s projected path shifted to the south Tuesday and farther away from Tampa Bay, a heavily populated region highly vulnerable to storm surge flooding, but the storm was still shaping up as a potential wide-ranging disaster for Florida.
Much of the peninsula was under hurricane or tropical storm warnings. More than 2.5 million people had fled homes in high-risk coastal areas, some that could see storm surge up to 12 feet deep. Flash flood warnings were posted for South and Central Florida with up to 24 inches of drenching rains possible for days to come. Tornado watches were also issued for much of southeast Florida.
Two tornadoes touched down in Broward, wreaking havoc. Numerous planes at North Perry Airport were flipped or torn apart, and neighborhoods saw downed trees and sign posts.
