Hurricane Ian expected to intensify rapidly and hit Florida as major storm this week

Hurricane Ian was growing stronger as it approached the western tip of Cuba on Monday, on a track to hit the west coast of Florida as a major hurricane as early as Wednesday. Ian was forecast to hit Cuba as a major hurricane and then become an even stronger Category 4 with top winds of 140 mph over warm Gulf of Mexico waters before striking Florida along a stretch of coast including the Tampa Bay area.

Tampa and St. Petersburg appeared to be among the most likely targets for their first direct hit by a major hurricane in a century. Even if Ian doesn't directly hit the area, it could still feel the effects of the storm, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

"You're still looking at really significant amount of rain, you're looking at a lot of wind, you're looking at a lot of storm surge, and so, yes, follow that track, but don't think because that eye may or may not be in your area that you're not going to see impacts," DeSantis said during a Monday afternoon press conference. "You're going to see significant impacts."