Carolina Weather Group

Hurricane Ian is growing in strength ahead of landfall in Florida later this week. There is still uncertainty in the forecast for Ian. As the storm's track progresses, there will be a better certainty of where and when the storm makes landfall. This data will allow forecasters to better and more accurately predict what happens to Ian as it approaches Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Both the NAM and a European weather forecast model envision a landfall near Tampa with the storm passing over Orlando and the space coast before returning to the Atlantic Ocean. This would put the storm closer to cities like Savannah, Hilton Head, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and Wilmington. This scenario would bring more beach erosion and heavier surf to the Carolina coast. The GFS model wants to take the storm further west and further inland following landfall in Florida's panhandle. If Ian's center of circulation were to pass over Georgia, upstate South Carolina, and western North Carolina, more of the Carolinas wou