JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Hurricane Ian was one of the worst storms on record for our area and after months of pouring through data NOAA has released their report on Hurricane Ian.
The full report can be viewed here. The big takeaway though is the fact the storm did reach Category 5 status with winds up to 161mph in the Gulf of Mexico at it’s peak near the Tortuga islands. The storm did relatively weaken though to a Category 4 late that day.
This would make it the 4th Category 5 storm in the Gulf of Mexico since Hurricane Katrina.
The report also listed Ian as the costliest hurricane on record in the state of Florida and the third costliest ever in the US.
This is little surprise since the storm brought not only a devastating impact to Florida’s West Coast but also significant damage along the East Coast, including severe flooding here in the Jacksonville area.
Over 109 billion dollars in damages were estimated from the storm in Florida.
The storm also brought significant rainfall, with 27 inches being reported in Grove City, Florida.
Ian also produced 15 tornadoes across the United States with 14 of them occurring in Florida. On tornado a EF2 left a six nautical mile track in Palm Beach County, leaving two injured.
The storm was responsible for at least 156 deaths. In Florida, the storm surge claimed 41 lives.
Hurricane Ian was among the 2022 retired storm names released in late March. This means no tropical system in the Atlantic will ever be named Ian again.
