Hurricane Ian
Source: Wikipedia.
Hurricane Ian was a deadly and extremely destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane, which was the third-costliest weather disaster on record worldwide,
Hurricane Ian peaked as a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) early on September 28, 2022 while progressing towards the west coast of Florida, and made landfall just below peak intensity in Southwest Florida on Cayo Costa Island. In doing so, Ian tied with several other storms to become the 5th strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the contiguous U.S. Ian was also the deadliest hurricane to strike the state of Florida since the 1935 Labor Day hurricane and the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Michael in 2018.
Ian caused catastrophic damage with losses estimated to be around $113 billion, making it the costliest hurricane in Florida's history, surpassing Irma of 2017, as well as the third-costliest in US history, behind only Katrina of 2005 and Harvey of 2017 respectively. Much of the damage was from flooding brought about by a storm surge of 10-15 ft (3.0-4.6 m). The cities of Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and Naples were particularly hard hit, leaving millions without power in the storm's wake and numerous inhabitants forced to take refuge on their roofs. Sanibel Island, Fort Myers Beach, and Pine Island bore the brunt of Ian's powerful winds and its accompanying storm surge at landfall.
The hardest-hit areas were in Lee County, where catastrophic damage occurred as Ian pushed a destructive 10-15 ft (3.0-4.6 m) storm surge into Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island, and Bonita Springs, just south of where its eye made landfall. A large portion of the Sanibel Causeway collapsed and washed away during the storm, cutting off all vehicle access to Sanibel. Vehicular access to the island was re-established on October 11 for emergency workers and public access was re-established October 21 for local residents. Ian also damaged the Pine Island Causeway and washed out the approach to it which connected Pine Island to the mainland. A temporary bridge was opened for public use on October 5.
Due to the extreme damage and number of deaths the hurricane caused, particularly in Florida, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Ian from its rotating name lists in March 2023, and it will never be used again for another Atlantic tropical cyclone. It was replaced with Idris, which will first appear on the 2028 season list.
2022 Satellite View of Hurricane Ian
