As Tropical Storm Ian heads towards Florida and is expected to become a hurricane Sunday night, reaching major hurricane strength early next week, Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued statewide state of emergency, citing the risk of a major hurricane making landfall on Florida’s western coast.

Currently located in the Caribbean Sea with maximum sustained winds near 50 mph and higher gusts, forecasters predict that Ian is expected to become a major Category 3 hurricane by Monday or Tuesday.  According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm is 540 miles southeast of the western tip of Cuba and could approach the Florida Keys and the southern and central area of the Florida peninsula beginning Monday through to Wednesday morning

The potential hurricane is expected to bring 2 to 6 inches of rain to the Keys and peninsula and heavy rainfall to northern and western Florida, as well as to other states in the southeastern U.S. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. These rains may produce flash and urban flooding across the Keys and the peninsula through midweek.

Over the weekend, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida as the state faces a potential major hurricane from the current storm, the White House said. Biden’s approval of a Florida emergency declaration orders authorized federal aid.

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