Marine Tropical Storm — E Cp Sable To Chokoloskee Fl Out 20nm, Gulf of Mexico

2022-09-27 to 2022-09-29 · E Cp Sable To Chokoloskee Fl Out 20nm, Gulf of Mexico

Event narrative

Sustained tropical storm force winds of 40 to 60 mph/35 to 50 knots likely occurred over the coastal waters of Mainland Monroe County out to 20 nautical miles from shore.

Wider weather episode

A tropical depression formed in the central Caribbean Sea on September 23rd, then was upgraded to Tropical Storm Ian at 11 PM on September 23rd. Ian moved westward, then turned northwest on September 25th, passing just west of Jamaica and near the Cayman Islands. Ian became a hurricane on Monday, September 26th south of western Cuba, then moved north and made landfall in Pinar Del Rio Province, Cuba early on Tuesday, September 27th as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph.

Ian moved into the SE Gulf of Mexico around midday on Tuesday, September 27th, then moved over Dry Tortugas as a Category 3 hurricane later that evening. Ian strengthened over the SE Gulf of Mexico as it approached Southwest Florida, becoming a Category 4 hurricane at 7 AM on Wednesday, September 28th with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph and a lowest central pressure of 936 mb. Ian moved N-NE and made landfall in Cayo Costa west of Fort Myers at 3:05 PM on Wednesday, September 28th with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph and minimum central pressure of 940 mb.

Ian moved NE across the central Florida peninsula during the evening and night of Wednesday, September 28th, finally being downgraded to a tropical storm about 20 miles west of Melbourne at 5 AM Thursday, September 29th. Ian moved off the east coast of Florida just north of Cape Canaveral during the mid-morning hours of Thursday, September 29th.

The highest measured wind gust in the coastal areas was 97 knots/112 mph well above the surface at Naples Grande Beach Resort about a half-mile inland. A peak gust of 61 knots/70 mph was measured at Naples Pier before the instrument failed as the strongest winds of Ian were approaching. The center of Ian passed about 60 nm west of Naples, and major hurricane force winds likely occurred over most of the offshore waters of Collier and Mainland Monroe counties.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1057072. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.