Hurricanes

"Your first flight was my worst flight ever," a pilot who flew over Hurricane Ian said. "It was the worst thing you could want to happen as a pilot."

With top sustained winds of 155 mph, Hurricane Ian is a strong Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, but only four hurricanes have ever struck the U.S. with stronger winds.

Thousands of people were evacuated and others left the area ahead of the arrival of Ian, which caused flooding, damaged houses and toppled trees.

Hurricane Ian is quickly gaining monstrous strength as it moves over oceans partly heated up by climate change, just like 30 other Atlantic tropical storms since 2017 that became much more powerful in less than a day.

Major airlines are allowing passengers to rebook flights without a fee, but each airline’s travel waiver has different restrictions and deadlines.

The polluted leftovers of Florida’s phosphate fertilizer mining industry are at risk for leaks or other contamination when Hurricane Ian comes ashore, environmental groups say.

If Hurricane Ian follows a track near the center of the forecast cone, it would be nearly a worst-case scenario for the Tampa Bay area because the powerful winds in Ian's eyewall would plow through the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater.

An evacuation order was issued for non-mission-essential individuals at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. Meanwhile, U.S. 4th Fleet ships are departing from Mayport Naval Air Station in Jacksonville.

So far, there has been no change to the Bucs' game against the Chiefs, which is scheduled for Sunday at 8:20 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

A Hurricane Warning has been issued for the Tampa Bay area as mandatory evacuations have been issued for parts of the region.

Studies have identified nearly 3 million homes in the Sunshine State that are vulnerable to a storm’s storm surge. It is unknown which communities will be in the target zone of Hurricane Ian.

Widespread, potentially prolonged power outages, numerous downed trees, structural damage, washed-out roads and significant coastal erosion due to battering waves and storm surge are all potential impacts of Fiona in Atlantic Canada, regardless if it has become a post-tropical cyclone or if it is still a hurricane.