Tampa: Hurricane Ian, projected to be one of the costliest storms in US history, prompted mass evacuations, school shutdowns and thousands of flight cancellations across the third-largest US state.
The storm, which has already battered Cuba, has top winds near 120 mph (193 km/h) as it swirls over the south-eastern Gulf of Mexico, about 338 kilometres from Punta Gorda, Florida, according to an advisory from the US National Hurricane Centre at 6pm New York time.
A classic American car drives past utility poles tilted by Hurricane Ian in Pinar del Rio, Cuba.Credit:AP
The storm is forecast to strengthen through Wednesday, bringing threats of two-metre storm surges into Tampa Bay and heavy rains across the US south-east.
Local media broadcast video of interstate highways jammed with cars and trucks attempting to flee vulnerable cities and towns along Florida’s western coast. Damages and economic losses in the area could exceed $US45 billion if the current forecast comes to pass, said Chuck Watson, a disaster modeller with Enki Research.
That would rank Ian as the eighth-costliest US hurricane, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Earlier estimates were higher when it appeared Ian was going to make a direct hit on Tampa.
The storm comes as climate change fuels extreme weather worldwide, including hurricanes that rapidly gain strength as they approach land.
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