Hurricane Ian took aim at the Carolinas on Friday after its devastating impact on southwest Florida earlier this week.
After briefly downgrading to a tropical storm, Ian intensified back into a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds Friday morning as it entered the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean from the east coast of Florida.
Ian made landfall in Florida on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing high winds, dangerous storm surge and tornadoes.
After heading north through the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Ian made landfall along the southwest coast of Florida around 3:05 p.m. ET with sustained winds near 150 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
It made landfall near Cayo Costa, an island off the coast of Fort Myers, and the storm then moved through central Florida.
Projected Paths and Spaghetti Models
Ian is expected to continue heading north. It is expected to make landfall as a Category 1 storm near or north of Charleston, South Carolina, Friday afternoon.
Weather alerts are in place across four states, from Florida to North Carolina. Hurricane warnings have been issued for the entire coast of South Carolina and the southern coast of North Carolina, including Wilmington. Tropical storm warnings have been issued for most of North Carolina, inland South Carolina, eastern Georgia and the east coast of Florida.
A hurricane warning will also be in place for the coast from northern Florida through Georgia to the South Carolina border.
storm surge
A catastrophic storm surge hit southwest Florida, and life-threatening storm surge remains at risk as Ian moves north. Charleston is the bullseye for the storm’s next landfall and could see a storm surge of at least 7 feet.
rainfall
More than 1 foot of rain has been reported in many communities in central Florida, with some communities receiving up to 2 feet of rain. Flooding remains a risk as Ian moves north, with up to 10 inches expected from Charleston to the North Carolina border.
It can also reach 6 inches in parts of North Carolina and southern New Jersey.
Some heavy rain will hit the Philadelphia and New York City areas Saturday morning, where 2 to 3 inches of rain is possible.
extreme wind
Tropical storm strong winds are hitting much of the Carolinas coast ahead of Hurricane Ian’s expected landfall.
Hurricane Ian remained on the water with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.
ABC television stations contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2022 ABC News Internet Ventures.