ORLANDO, Fla. — While many questions still linger, Florida has learned a lot about itself, the National Hurricane Center and the future of forecasting in the 10 days since Hurricane Ian ravaged the state.
The Category 4 hurricane roared ashore in southwest Florida with 150 mph sustained winds, making landfall at Cayo Costa State Park and headed up into Charlotte Harbor just like Hurricane Charley in 2004.
Ian then traveled northeast up the state knocking on central Florida’s door with Category 1 winds. It was downgraded into a tropical storm as it passed south of Orlando, leaving neighborhoods deluged with rain and producing 1-in-500-year amounts of rainfall in some areas, and 1-in-a-1000-year amounts along some Gulf Coast communities.
