Hurricane Ian weakened to a Category 1 hurricane as it moved through central Florida, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday. Sustained winds from the storm dropped to 90 mph.
Ian is now centered about 70 miles south of Orlando. East central Florida, including Orlando, is also under a tornado watch until 1 a.m. ET Thursday.
Overnight, widespread tropical storm-force winds with gusts above hurricane force will continue to affect central Florida, the hurricane center said.
“Hurricane conditions are expected along the east central Florida coast overnight through Thursday morning,” the hurricane center said.
The storm will also bring a continued threat of heavy rain on Thursday.
“Wide-spread and life-threatening catastrophic flooding, with record major riverine flooding, will continue in parts of central Florida this evening,” the hurricane center said, also warning of “extensive flooding in northern Florida, southeast Georgia and eastern South Carolina” through the weekend.
