(MIAMI, FLA) — Southwest Florida is bracing for the worst of Category 4 Hurricane Ian.
Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties are under a Hurricane Warning and a Storm Surge Warning.
The National Weather Service warns of catastrophic storm surge as high as 12 feet.
The National Hurricane Center warns this will be a large and destructive storm.
Southeast Florida will continue to feel the effects of Hurricane Ian though Thursday.
The National Weather Service has a Tropical Storm Warning in effect for Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. Winds could reach 35 miles an hour with gusts up to 50 miles per hour.
Up to eight inches of rain are possible through tomorrow and the threat of tornadoes could persist today. In the Keys, storm surge totals could reach up to seven feet.
Palm Beach county is opening an Emergency Information Center at 7:00 this morning. County operations will be closed today including Palm Tran service.
Last night a tornado touched down in Western Delray Beach in the Kings Point area overturning cars and damaging apartment buildings. Several people were evacuated and two sent to the hospital.
Already this morning we’ve had another tornado warning for West Boca.
DAMAGE IN DELRAY: A possible tornado injured two people, overturned cars and ripped the roof off an apartment complex.
A tornado warning remains for much of South Florida: https://t.co/KfvcjqTF9H pic.twitter.com/bA48V1wEGL
— WPTV (@WPTV) September 28, 2022
There were other tornadoes that were confirmed in Broward county last night as well. One overturned small planes at North Perry airport.
Hurricane Ian 🌀 Multiple planes damaged North Perry Airport due to suspected tornado 🛩️🌪️#HurricaneIan 🌀 #Hurricane #Ian #Weather #Florida #tornado 🌪️ #warning #flood #surge #flooding #damage #video #photo #photography #FloridaStrong #NorthPerryAirport #airport #planes https://t.co/EQgqYBFDHl
— The Last Show- Karen Lee (@thelastshow) September 28, 2022
Florida Power and Light crews are working overnight after strong winds damaged power lines in Wellington.
.@JayCashmere w/the Ian damage from Aero Club Drive in Wellington
#HurricaneIan @WPTV pic.twitter.com/LVmPPBkkVo— Mike Trim WPTV (@MikeTrimWPTV) September 28, 2022
Schools are closed across South Florida today and as are Florida theme parks. Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, Legoland and SeaWorld announced yesterday they will be closed today and tomorrow.
University of Florida had cancelled classes and will be closed through the end of the week. Florida State classes are cancelled through the end of the week, with the University of Miami closed Wednesday and all classes will move to an online format.
Also, the City of West Palm Beach will close City facilities today except for facilities conducting essential services, including Public Works, Public Utilities, West Palm Beach Police Department, and West Palm Beach Fire Department. The Mandel Library will be closed.
Sanitation services, including trash/garbage, recycling, yard, and bulk pickup, are suspended for Wednesday.
To contact the City of West Palm Beach, please dial (561) 822-1200 (TTY 800 955-8771). For information about the City of West Palm Beach, please visit: https://www.wpb.org/home