https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/09/28/deadly-hurricane-ian-nearing-category-5-strength-threatens-catastrophic-storm-surge-as-it-nears-florida-its-too-late-to-leave-for-many-governor-says/ > Hurricane Ian — now an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm — has begun lashing Florida with ruinous winds and rain as it advances on the state’s west coast, poised to inflict “catastrophic,” potentially unprecedented storm surge as it nears a Wednesday afternoon landfall. > “Conditions rapidly deteriorating along the southwest Florida coast,” the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday morning, with Ian’s center just dozens of miles off the coast. Its maximum sustained winds were 155 mph — just 2 mph short of top-level Category 5, the center said at 7 a.m. ET.