Tropical Storm Ian expected to impact Florida as major hurricane next week | Florida News | Orlando

The ninth named storm of the season is likely heading this way.

The National Hurricane Center shared this morning that Tropical Storm Ian is heading toward Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. They expect it will reach hurricane strength before passing over Western Cuba. Once in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, forecasters expect the storm to gain strength before impacting the Florida peninsula.

The storm is expected to be at or near major hurricane strength when it reaches Florida. That is a storm with sustained wind speeds in excess of 111 mph. While it is too far out to know exactly which parts of Florida will be in the storm’s path, forecasters are urging all Florida residents to prepare for the storm.