September 25 Tropics Update: Ian close to hurricane strength, new watches for SW Florida

All eyes are on Ian now as the tropical storm eyes the Gulf of Mexico. As of 11 p.m. Sunday, Tropical Storm Ian is gaining strength with sustained winds of 65 mph, close to hurricane strength. This newest update now still shows Ian maintaining tropical storm strength as it may move through south Georgia Friday afternoon. The cone continues to shift east, with a majority of Georgia within the forecast cone. The National Hurricane Center does say that Ian is about to begin rapid intensification soon. As it finishes its route through the Caribbean, it will cross very warm waters. The warm waters will give Ian the energy to strength significantly. So much so, that Ian is forecast to become a major hurricane (category 3 or higher). Tropical Storm Ian is expected to make landfall in western Cuba as a hurricane. In light of that, hurricane and tropical storm warnings have been issued for portions of Cuba. The tropical storm watches in the Florida Keys have now been upgraded to tropical storm warnings. Additionally, now parts of Southwest Florida are under a tropical storm watch. Subscribe to 13WMAZ for exclusive content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRNf... 13WMAZ News is the #1 station for news and weather in the Central Georgia area, serving people in Dublin, Macon, Milledgeville and Warner Robins. Follow 13WMAZ on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/13WMAZ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/13wmaz/ Visit Site: https://www.13wmaz.com