TAMPA, Fla. — Tropical Storm Ian intensified overnight into a hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center, and forecasters expect the storm will be a major hurricane by the end of the day.
The hurricane center on Monday morning also placed Tampa Bay under a hurricane watch and a storm surge watch. Tampa Bay remained firmly in the storm’s forecast cone, though forecasters said there was still a great deal of uncertainty about Ian’s path.
As of 2 p.m. Eastern time Monday, Hurricane Ian was 120 miles west southwest of Grand Cayman and about 195 miles southeast of the western tip of Cuba. Ian was moving northwest at about 13 mph and had sustained winds near 85 mph with higher gusts, the 2 p.m. update from the hurricane center said.
