Ian intensifies into a hurricane heading for Cuba and Florida

Forecasters say Tropical Storm Ian has strengthened into a hurricane as it approaches Cuba and is expected to bring it to Florida in the next few days.

Ian is expected to intensify rapidly, becoming a major hurricane as soon as late Monday.

Cuban authorities suspended classes in the province of Pinar del Rio and said they would begin evacuations on Monday as Ian was expected to strengthen before reaching the west of the island on his way to Florida.

A hurricane warning is in effect for Grand Cayman and the Cuban provinces of Juventud, Pinar del Rio and Artemiza.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Ian should reach Cuba’s far west by late Monday or early Tuesday, hitting near the country’s tobacco fields.

It could become a major hurricane, possibly on the state’s west coast or in the panhandle, before it could make landfall in Florida in the middle of the week.

Cuban state media Granma said authorities would begin evacuating people from vulnerable areas in the westernmost province of Pinar del Río early Monday.

Classes there have been suspended.

At 5 a.m. Monday, Ian was moving northwest at 13 mph, about 90 miles southwest of Grand Cayman, according to the center.

It has maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour.

Meanwhile, Florida residents were wary of Ian as it ominously crossed the Caribbean on the road to the state.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for the entire state of Florida and urged residents to prepare for a storm that will bring heavy rain, high winds and rising sea levels to swathes of the state .

Forecasters still aren’t sure where Ian could make landfall, he said, and current models plot it on Florida’s West Coast or Panhandle.

“We will continue to monitor the trajectory of this storm. But it is really important to highlight the level of uncertainty that remains,” Mr. DeSantis said at a news conference on Sunday, warning that “even if you are not necessarily in The center of the storm’s path will also have fairly widespread effects across the state.”

Flash floods and urban flooding are possible midweek in the Florida Keys and peninsula, followed by heavy rainfall in northern Florida, the Florida Panhandle and the southeastern U.S. later in the week.

The agency conducted a tropical storm watch in the lower Florida Keys Sunday night and advised Floridians to develop hurricane plans and monitor updates on the storm’s evolving track.

U.S. President Joe Biden also declared a state of emergency, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) to coordinate disaster relief and provide assistance to protect lives and property.

Because of the storm, the president delayed a trip to Florida that had been scheduled for September 27.

It’s unclear where Ian was worst hit in Florida, John Canjalosi, a senior hurricane expert at the Miami-based Hurricane Center, said in an interview Sunday.

Residents should start preparing, including gathering supplies for a possible power outage, he said.

“It’s hard to say stay tuned, but this is the right message now,” Mr Cangialosi said.

“But it’s still prep time for people in Florida. I haven’t told you to close the blinds or do anything like that right now, but it’s time to get your supplies.”

Local media in Florida reported that residents in some areas were in desperate need of water, generators and other supplies, and residents began stockpiling before the storm.