PHOTO COURTESY NOAAThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center updated Hurricane Ian, which made landfall at Cayo Costa, Fla., Sept. 28 last year, to a Category 5.
In the Tropical Cyclone Report, NOAA scientists wrote: “Ian intensified further later that morning and reached its peak intensity of 140 knots/161 mph at 1200 UTC 28 September.” The storm made landfall as a high Category 4, with 150-mph winds. A Category 4 storm has maximum winds of 156 mph.
Hurricane Ian produced catastrophic storm surge and “historic freshwater flooding across much of central and northern Florida.”
“Ian was responsible for over 150 direct and indirect deaths and over $112 billion in damage, making it the costliest hurricane in Florida’s history and the third costliest in United States history,” the report stated
Peak storm -surge levels of 10 to 15 feet above ground level occurred in Fort Myers Beach. “Ian made landfall in a region extremely vulnerable to storm surge, and the exact track, strong winds and large storm size … contributed to the widespread devastating impacts,” the report sated.
A U.S. Geological Service water-level sensor measured a wave-filtered water level of 12.7 feet above mean higher high water at Fort Myers Beach Pier. A maximum of 12.58 feet was recorded on the eastern portion of Sanibel Island.
Soundings Trade Only will look at this year’s Atlantic hurricane season and the state of businesses hit hard by Ian in an upcoming issue.
