Hurricane Ian has now been classified as a Category 3 storm and is set to approach the coast of Florida in the next 48 hours.

Residents of the Panhandle state have already begun to hunker down for the fourth hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic season. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared an emergency for 24 of the state’s counties on September 25, before Hurricane Ian even hit the coast of Cuba early on Tuesday morning. 

While experts expected this season to have an above-average number of hurricanes, the first only hit back in August. While people are hopeful that despite Ian’s classification as a Category 3 it will dissipate before it gets a chance to hit Florida, some factors have been discounted. 

Here is why the Atlantic season’s latest storm can potentially cause massive damage to parts of Florida.

The rain

Even as Hurricane Ian climbs northwards towards Florida, its outer band will be hitting the peninsula, which is the wetter side of the storm. While it travels up the coast, it will likely produce a lot of heavy rain, according to meteorologist Athena Masson. Weather models predict that the region will receive 10 inches or more of rainfall in places where Ian makes landfall.

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A storm surge

Hurricane Ian will push the waters in the Gulf of Mexico northwards as it moves towards Florida, which can lead to a storm surge. This weather phenomenon push huge volumes of ocean water inland, leading to flooding. Depending on the size and movement of a hurricane, a storm surge flood can last for several hours. 

Hurricane Ian’s size

Even though Ian has been reclassified as a Category 3 storm, it is expected to intensify as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico. Which means that is current wind speeds, which have been clocked at 125 miles per hour, will go up further. 

If it becomes larger, like 2017’s Hurricane Irma, it will become bigger which means more rain and larger storm surges.