Tropical Storm Ian’s path has shifted slightly to the west, which is good news for Sebastian, Florida. But forecasters warn that it’s path could change again by Monday. Residents should continue to make hurricane preparations.
In Sebastian, we’re still in the “cone of uncertainty.” But the change in direction is good news, and we’ll have less of an impact from this hurricane as long as it doesn’t change course to the east.
As of 8:00 p.m., the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said tracking is still shifting to the west since the previous updates but will know more later tonight once data is collected from a special radiosonde from a NOAA aircraft.
“The latest NHC track forecast is once again adjusted westward, and further adjustments may be needed given the increased uncertainty in the day 3-5 period.”
Nearly all weather models also show a path to the west of Florida. However, the path of the storm can also change again during the next 48 hours. Ian is forecast to remain a major hurricane as it moves northward across the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Ian is still moving at 14 mph with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. It’s located 230 miles from Kingston, Jamaica.
On Saturday, all the stores in Sebastian were crowded as panic residents rushed to buy supplies. Walmart (Murphy’s) ran out of gas by early afternoon.
Some residents say people are panicking over nothing. However, back in 2004, Hurricane Jeanne made an unexpected change in its path, literally making a complete loop following Hurricane Frances and hitting Sebastian. As a result, it took several years for the city to recover.
Tropical Storm Ian is expected to strengthen further to become a hurricane by late Sunday night. Ian will approach Cuba on Monday, and we should feel some impact in Sebastian by Tuesday night.
Sebastian Daily will keep you updated on any threats to our local area.
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