Ian ranked a Category 5 Hurricane after the analysis done by NWS

After analysis, Hurricane Ian joined the short list of the 39 Category 5 hurricanes in recorded Atlantic history and was Florida’s costliest natural disaster on record.

Hurricane Ian is one for the history books and recovery continues since the remarkable system hit Southwest Florida (SWFL) in September 2022. Ian caused more than 150 direct and indirect deaths in the U.S., most of them occurring in Florida. Storm surge was the deadliest impact, killing 66 people.

Recent analysis done by the National Weather Service proved Ian to be a Category 5 (160 mph) hurricane in the early hours of September 28, 2022, adding it to the short list of Category 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic records.

That afternoon of September 28, just after 3 p.m. local time, Ian officially made landfall as a strong Category 4 (150 mph) in Cayo Costa, Fla. After wobbling along the SWFL Coast, Ian made a second landfall at 4:35 p.m. in Punta Gorda, Fla., still as a Category 4 (144 mph).

Ian was on our radar more than a week prior to hitting SWFL. A wave moved off of the West Coast of Africa between September 14 & 15 and traveled through the tropical Atlantic waters before organizing and becoming Ian officially as a tropical storm on September 24.

Ian made four total landfalls throughout its time as a hurricane. The first was in western Cuba, just after strengthening to a major Category 3 hurricane on September 27. The second was in Cayo Costa, Fla., and the third was in Punta Gorda, Fla., on September 28. Finally, after Ian made its way across the Florida Peninsula and into the Southeast, its final landfall was near Charleston, S.C., in Georgetown on September 30, 2022.

The total cost in damages from Ian was $112 billion – Florida’s number one costliest natural disaster, and the U.S.’s third costliest behind Hurricane Harvey ($148.9 billion) and Hurricane Katrina ($186.3 billion).

The worst storm surge at 10 to 15 feet was seen on the southeast end of Sanibel Island through Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, and just north of Marco Island. Fort Myers and Sanibel both reported storm surge greater than 12 feet.

The most rainfall recorded was in Grove City, Fla., at 26.95 inches, about 48 miles northwest of Fort Myers. Another peak rainfall total of 21.49 inches was recorded in Daytona Beach.

Additionally, Ian produced 15 tornadoes with its outer bands on September 27 and 28. Fourteen of those tornadoes occurred in Florida, with the last one occurring in coastal North Carolina.

Ian was the first Category 5 Hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since 2018. Hurricane Michael was the last Category 5 which also made landfall in Florida, near Mexico Beach in the Panhandle.

Recovery continues after the heavy loss and damage to SWFL after Hurricane Ian.