ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Hurricane Ian has made landfall in southwestern Florida as a massive Category 4 storm.
About 2.5 million people had been ordered to evacuate the area before the storm hit the coast on Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (241 kph).
The storm was heading inland, where it was expected to weaken, but residents in central Florida could still experience hurricane-force winds.
Before making its way through the Gulf of Mexico to hit Florida, Hurricane Ian tore into western Cuba as a major hurricane Tuesday, killing two people and bringing down the country’s electrical grid.
GULF OF MEXICO – SEPTEMBER 28: In this NOAA handout image taken by the GOES satellite at 13:10 UTC, Hurricane Ian approaches Florida on September 28, 2022 in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is expected to bring a potentially life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds. (Photo by NOAA via Getty Images) 
SARASOTA, FL – SEPTEMBER 28: Wind gusts blow across the John Ringling Causeway as Hurricane Ian churns to the south on September 28, 2022 in Sarasota, Florida. The storm made a U.S. landfall at Cayo Costa, Florida this afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane with wind speeds over 140 miles per hour in some areas. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) 
SAINT PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 28: A damaged sign sits on the side of state road I-275 as Hurricane Ian approaches on September 28, 2022 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Ian is hitting the area as a Category 4 hurricane. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images) 
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 28: Screens display information on Hurricane Ian inside the National Response Coordination Center at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters, on September 28, 2022 in Washington, DC. Hurricane Ian, with sustained winds of 155 mph, is approaching Category 5 status as it heads toward Florida’s southwest coast. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) 
SAINT PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 28: General view of St. Pete Beach bay as strong winds from Hurricane Ian arrive on September 28, 2022 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Ian is hitting the area as a Category 4 hurricane. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images) 
SARASOTA, FL – SEPTEMBER 28: Jacob Woods, a meteorology student at the Mississippi State University, measures wind gusts as Hurricane Ian approaches on September 28, 2022 in Sarasota, Florida. By early afternoon his team observed gusts in excess of fifty miles per hour. Ian is hitting the area as a Category 4 hurricane. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) 
SAINT PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 28: Palm trees in St. Pete Beach are hit with strong winds from Hurricane Ian on September 28, 2022 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Ian is hitting the area as a Category 4 hurricane. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images) 
SARASOTA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 28: Palm trees blow in the wind from Hurricane Ian on September 28, 2022 in Sarasota, Florida. Ian is hitting the area as a likely Category 4 hurricane. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Hurricane Ian is swamping city streets after making landfall in southwest Florida.
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 28, 2022
As it crawled northeastward, at least one sheriff’s office along the coast reported that it was getting “a significant number of calls” from people trapped in their homes. https://t.co/6Z3m4Runod pic.twitter.com/afZqGAlE4v
