By the time it reaches the shores of Florida, the storm is going to slow down to approximately 5 miles per hour.

And this is significant because what this means is that Floridians are going to experience the impacts from this storm for a very long time.

As with any hurricane, it can still be unpredictable.

This means that it is more important than ever that communities inside and outside of that projected path that you see, that you stay vigilant.

And so my message to those who may be watching at home, get ready and do not underestimate the potential that this storm can bring.

Hurricane Ian is slowly spinning toward the west coast of Florida this morning,

bringing with it life-threatening storm storage, catastrophic winds, and flooding.

We'll have a live report from Tampa in just a moment.

Also ahead, a former D.C. Metro Police officer does not hold back at a sentencing for a capital ryer.

Plus, we'll dig into new data that suggests significant COVID waves could be coming this fall and winter.

Good morning and welcome to way too early on this Wednesday, September 28th.

I'm Jonathan Lemire. Thanks for starting your day with us.

And we're going to begin in Florida where millions of residents are bracing for Hurricane Ian as the powerful storm barrels toward

the state intensifying every hour. The storm is expected to make landfall on the southwest coast

of Florida as early as this afternoon. Just moments ago, it reached the status of category four

hurricane. The center of the storm is then forecast to

move over the central part of the state, with winds likely reaching over 130 miles per hour.

The National Hurricane Center is also warning of dangerous storm surge and flooding, with up to

18 inches of rain expected in some areas.

More than 2.5 million people are under evacuation orders along parts of coastal Florida.

This, as Governor Ron DeSantis, urges residents to leave.

If you are in an evacuation zone, particularly in those southwest Florida counties, you know, your time to evacuate is coming to an end.

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