Treasure Coast - Tuesday September 27, 2022: The Treasure and Space Coasts are now under a Tropical Storm Warning and a Flood Watch, awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Ian.
Although landfall is not expected along Florida’s west coast until late Wednesday, we’re already feeling the impact. Meteorologist Derrick Weitlich with the National Weather Service in Melbourne says those impacts will continue to build throughout today and tomorrow.
Once the full force of the storm comes ashore it will slow down and weaken a bit he says, and the Treasure and Space Coasts will get a taste of tropical storm force winds.
“Across those counties having sustained winds around 25 to 35 MPH," said Weitlich, "and maybe it’ll be up to, across Brevard, 35 to 45 MPH with some higher gusts up to 50 or 60.”
Regardless of the exact track, and the winds that may occur, he said flooding rain is the biggest threat to our region. “We have forecast widespread totals of 4 to 6 inches, are anticipated. May be even a little bit higher as we get across northern Brevard County, more closer to 6 to 10, and then may be even locally higher amounts of 8 to 12.”
So we’re in-store for winds not likely to be greater than 60 mph and rainfall no more than 12 inches, in some areas.
“So right now we have a Tropical Storm Warning in effect for all of Brevard County, all of the Treasure Counties, and we also have a Flood Watch that’s in effect for those counties as well," he said.
That could change, says Weitlich, if Ian changes course again, or slows and lingers.