Hurricane Ian tracker, warnings and advisories

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis provided an update to residents on Hurricane Ian during a presser with other emergency response officials late Tuesday evening.

DeSantis warned residents to exercise caution or to leave their homes if they are expected to be directly impacted by the storm.

"You need to evacuate now," the Republican governor warned as residents as the storm is set to make landfall tomorrow afternoon or evening. "Now is the time to act."

"This is a lot of nasty weather we're in store for over the next few days," he said, noting the "strong Category 3" is located about 170 miles south-southwest of Punta Gorda, Charlotte County. 

Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie added: "This storm will only continue to intensify. If you want to leave, as the governor has said, now is your last chance."

The governor warned the severe storm was moving north at 10 mph and had sustained winds of 120 mph. 

"The storm has had severe impacts in south Florida and those impacts are going to continue throughout the whole state," he said.

DeSantis said the government has made 176 shelters available, including 50 special needs shelters, across the state to house those displaced by the storm.

"More will likely be added," he said. "There are now over 30,000 personnel stationed and standing by to help with power restoration," the governor added.

"Right now, there are about 8,000 customers without power. But, that number will likely be in the millions shortly," he predicted.

DeSantis said he expected the storm to downgrade when it makes landfall over Florida, but cautioned it would still bring enormous rainfall. The storm is projected to cross over Florida and enter the Atlantic Ocean, where it could travel north and impact other states.

The severe storm has already caused at least two radar-indicated tornadoes in the state, including those in Palm Beach and more possible tornadoes in Broward County.

"Tornado watches are in effect in central and south Florida until 5 a.m.," DeSantis said.

Hurricane Ian is expected to leave Florida on Friday morning.

Hurricane Ian was still gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico about 180 miles south-southwest of Punta, Gorda, Florida, around 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening.

A hurricane warning is in effect from Chokoloskee to Anclote River, which spans about 200 miles along Florida's west coast.

The storm is expected to pass west of the Florida Keys on Tuesday evening then make landfall somewhere in the hurricane warning area on Wednesday.

The National Hurricane Center said that storm surge could reach 12 feet and up to 18 inches of rain could fall across Florida. Maximum sustained winds were about 120 mph as of 8:00 p.m.

Tornadoes are also possible in south and central Florida on Tuesday evening into Wednesday.

Tampa International Airport closed down at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Ian's expected landfall on Wednesday.

There were 146 flight cancellations and 16 delays on Tuesday in Tampa, according to FlightAware.

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport closed earlier in the day at 1:00 p.m., while Orlando International Airport said it will halt flights at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden spoke with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by phone on Tuesday evening to discuss assistance that the federal government can provide to the state ahead of Hurricane Ian, the White House said.

Biden also spoke to the mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater earlier in the day.

DeSantis said earlier in the day that he hadn't heard from the president, but thanked him for approving the pre-landfall emergency declaration request.

"I'm happy to brief the President if he's interested in hearing what we're doing in Florida," DeSantis said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. "My view on all this is, you’ve got people's lives at stake, you’ve got their property at stake, and we don't have time for pettiness."

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for much of southern Florida through 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday.

At least one tornado was impacting west metro portions of Broward County around 7:30 p.m.

Residents are advised to seek shelter in a tornado shelter, basement, or interior room and avoid mobile homes and large open rooms if possible.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor urged residents to evacuate on Tuesday, saying that no one will be safe from the life-threatening storm surge and catastrophic flooding that is expected when Hurricane Ian makes landfall.

"When you talk about 10 to 15 foot surges, that should get everyone's attention. No one is safe from that," Castor told Fox News' Neil Cavuto. "Look at the last couple of years, the increased intensity in these hurricanes. I think we have people's attention and they're getting out while they can."

Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort both announced two-day closures ahead of Hurricane Ian's expected landfall on Wednesday.

A tropical storm warning is currently in effect for Orange County, where Disney and Universal are located.

Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall as a category 3 or potentially a category 4 storm near Tampa, then crawl across central and northern Florida, dropping huge amounts of rain.

"We are monitoring weather conditions os we can make timely decisions for the safety of our cast and guests, including when it’s safe for cast to return to the site to prepare for reopening," Disney said on Tuesday.

Florida residents have access to a wide array of emergency services, insurance hotlines, traffic links, and law enforcement resources ahead of Hurricane Ian.

Click here to read more: Emergency phone numbers, apps Florida residents should have

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged the more than 2.5 million residents who are under evacuation orders to leave their homes ahead of Hurricane Ian.

“We can rebuild property, we can fix infrastructure, you can fix your home. You don't get a mulligan when your personal safety is at risk," DeSantis said Tuesday.

"We know this thing is going to be hitting the state directly sometime tomorrow evening. You still have some time but that time is rapidly running out.”

Hurricane Ian is expected to bring excessive rainfall, devastating wind damage, and life-threatening storm surge to the west coast of Florida on Wednesday.

"You must evacuate now. There will be a point in time where you will not be safe to travel the roads," Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said Tuesday. "The time to evacuate is now. Get on the road."

A hurricane warning was expanded to southwestern Florida on Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said in a 5:00 p.m. update. 

The center of Hurricane Ian was located about 230 miles south of Sarasota, moving north at 10 mph.

The storm is expected to move through the southeastern Gulf of Mexico and pass west of the Florida Keys on Tuesday evening, then approach the west coast of Florida on Wednesday.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged residents to prepare for Hurricane Ian on Tuesday afternoon, saying that the storm will be a major event.

"Once it makes landfall, it’s going to slow down and really kind of crawl, but that’s going to dump an inordinate amount of rain, so you’re looking at, yes, a powerful hurricane, but a lot of surge and a lot of water which is going to cause a lot of flooding," DeSantis told Fox News.

President Joe Biden and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell discussed preparations for Hurricane Ian with the mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater on Tuesday.

The president also issued an emergency declaration that will allow FEMA to coordinate disaster relief efforts with local authorities.

FOX Weather Meteorologist Steve Bender provides the latest on Hurricane Ida's track.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declare a state of emergency from 7:00 a.m. on Thursday through midnight on Friday in anticipation of Hurricane Ida.

A storm surge watch was issued for the entire Georgia coast and a tropical storm warning was put out for multiple counties in the southern part of the state.

Southeast Georgia is forecast to get four to six inches of rainfall, while other parts of the state could get two to four inches. Flash flooding, damaging winds, and power outages are possible throughout the state.

"The best case scenario is that it continues to move off the coast, and that after it crosses Florida, it continues in that easterly pattern, and we just get some of the west side of the cone," GEMA Director James Stallings said at a press conference. "The worst case scenario is where it's at right now. It's going to dump a lot of wind and rain in our state."

Hurricane Ian struck western Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph on Tuesday morning.

Photos of the aftermath showed streets and neighborhoods underwater after the storm passed into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico.

Officials in the country's Pinar del Rio province had evacuated tens of thousands of people and set up 55 shelters ahead of the hurricane.

President Biden called Tampa Mayor Jane Castor while she was giving a press conference on Hurricane Ian on Tuesday.

"Don't be out there on the roads driving around, there's going to be downed trees," the mayor said as she received an incoming call, and slipped away. "I think I got a call from the president."

Hurricane Ian was in southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday afternoon ahead of expected landfall on Wednesday evening.

Click here to read more: Tampa mayor gets Biden phone call live during press conference: 'I got a call from the president'