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Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida on Wednesday afternoon as a powerful Category 4 storm.
Maximum sustained winds were around 150 mph as it hit the southwest coast at the island of Cayo Costa near Fort Myers and Cape Coral.
By Wednesday night, more than 2 million customers were without power in the state, and communities along Florida's west coast had issued mandatory curfews.
Later Wednesday, the storm gradually weakened to a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds around 90 mph, but heavy rain continued to pummel the state, and storm surge warnings remained in effect.
The National Hurricane Center has warned of "life-threatening storm surge, catastrophic winds and flooding in the Florida Peninsula," with millions under evacuation orders.
Meanwhile, across Cuba, residents have been left without power after sweeping outages in Ian's wake.
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Hurricane Ian winds drop further, flood risk remains
Hurricane Ian’s maximum sustained winds dropped to 75 mph by early Thursday, the day after it struck Florida as a powerful Category 4 storm.
But northeastern and central Florida were forecast to get 10 to 20 inches of rain, and up to 30 inches in some spots, the National Hurricane Center said. Florida’s eastern coast may also see a storm surge of 6 feet.
The storm, now a Category 1, was about 55 miles southwest of Cape Canaveral at 2 a.m., the hurricane center said in an advisory. It was moving northeast at 9 mph.
It did not appear that any deaths had been reported in the hurricane, but officials near where it struck earlier Wednesday said the damage was feared to be extensive and it was unknown how bad the situation was as high winds were continuing.
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Why ‘Category 4’ doesn’t begin to explain Hurricane Ian’s dangers
Hurricane Ian made landfall on Florida’s southwestern coast Wednesday as a strong Category 4 storm, making it one of only 15 Category 4 or 5 hurricanes on record to hit the state.
Its rating could understate how much destruction the storm brings.
Even as Ian gathered strength and neared Category 5 status, experts warned that solely paying attention to a hurricane’s category often masks just how destructive and life-threatening such storms can be — particularly as climate change makes hurricanes both rainier and more intense.
All flights out of Jacksonville airport canceled
The terminal at Jacksonville International Airport will be closed Thursday, and all flights in and out are canceled, the airport said.
The airport asked passengers to contact their airlines to rebook in an announcement on social media late Wednesday.
The airport had said Wednesday morning it would remain open as long as its airline partners and the Federal Aviation Administration deemed conditions safe to fly.
Jacksonville, on Florida's Atlantic coast, closed all three of its beaches Wednesday in preparation for Hurricane Ian's impacts.
The National Weather Service in Jacksonville has warned of extensive flash flooding, especially over northeast Florida, and it cautioned in an update Wednesday afternoon that the city could get 8 to 10 inches of rain.
Hurricane Ian weakens to a Category 1, but storm still battering Florida
Hurricane Ian’s maximum sustained winds dropped to 90 mph by late Wednesday, but the storm was still battering Florida with heavy rain and the risk of life-threatening storm surge, officials said.
The wind speeds made Ian a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. It was a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds when it made landfall near Cayo Costa on Florida's western coast at 3 p.m.
Officials in Lee County say the damage there is extensive, but its full scope was not clearly known. Residents reported being trapped by high water.
Central and northeast Florida could get 20 inches of rain, the National Hurricane Center said in an 11 p.m. advisory. Its center was about 70 miles south of Orlando as it moved northeast at 8 mph.
Storm surge warnings covered most of the western coast, including Tampa Bay, and were also in place on the East Coast, from around Volusia County to parts of South Carolina.
Terry Mazany, of Fort Myers, described it as a “freight train” of wind. The building they are in is surrounded by 8 feet of water, he said on MSNBC.
Crew-5 mission to International Space Station is delayed, NASA says
NASA and SpaceX are delaying a launch to the International Space Station by at least 24 hours after Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida, officials said Wednesday.
The Crew-5 mission, originally scheduled to leave from Kennedy Space Center off Florida’s east coast on Monday, is set to take three astronauts and a cosmonaut to the station, NASA said.
The flight will take off no sooner than 12 p.m. on Oct. 5, although it could be further delayed, the agency said.
Hurricane Ian plunges more than 2 million customers into darkness
At least 2 million customers across more than 12 Florida counties are without power Wednesday night, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks utility data across the country.
Roughly half of those without power are in the region serviced by Florida Power & Light Co., whose coverage area includes the hard-hit communities of Lee County.
A message posted on the utility's website said crews are working to restore power "in between weather bands as conditions allow."
Late Wednesday, the utility asked people to be prepared for widespread and extended outages as crews assess the damage.
"Hurricane Ian’s catastrophic winds will mean parts of our system will need to be rebuilt — not restored," Florida Power & Light Co. tweeted Wednesday night. "We are already at work restoring power where we can do so safely."