Be prepared Friday, Hurricane Ian’s weekend impact expected to begin

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Cool mornings and mild afternoons will continue through Thursday, with a First Alert for Friday through Sunday, as multiple rounds of rain showers will move through the Carolinas, as Hurricane Ian approaches the region. A First Alert Weather Day has been issued for Saturday, as we expect the heaviest rain and highest wind gusts.

• Mornings: Upper 40s for the piedmont; upper 30s for mountains.
• Afternoon Highs: Near 70 for the piedmont; around 60 degrees for mountains.
• First Alert: Local impacts from Ian expected Friday through Sunday.

Tonight will be clear and cool, with overnight low temperatures in the upper 40s for the piedmont, and upper 30s in the mountains.

Wednesday and Thursday will feature mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies, with afternoon high temperatures around 70 degrees for the piedmont, and around 60 degrees for the mountains.

A First Alert has been issued for Friday through Sunday, with a First Alert Weather Day for Saturday. Multiple rounds of heavy rain are possible Friday into Sunday, which could cause localized flooding issues, as 2″ to 6″ of rainfall will be possible.. Gusty winds of 35 mph or higher are possible, as the remnants of Hurricane Ian, is expected to move closer to the Carolinas. High temperatures will be in the upper 60s to lower 70s Friday through Sunday for the piedmont, with weekend high temperatures around 60 degrees for the mountains.

Hurricane Ian continues to have winds of 120 mph, and is moving to the north-northeast at 10 mph, as a category three hurricane. Ian is expected to batter Florida Wednesday through Friday, and move into the Carolinas by Saturday.

The latest forecast track has Hurricane Ian making landfall by Wednesday evening between Tampa and Fort Myers, Florida, near Sarasota, as a major hurricane, with winds of 130 mph possible. The forward progress of Ian will slow after making landfall through the day Thursday into early Friday.

Many counties of Florida have already issued evacuation orders. To find the latest Florida evacuation orders, you can click here: https://www.floridadisaster.org/evacuation-orders/

Florida is expected to receive 10 to 20 inches of rain for this event, along with six to nine feet of storm surge, and wind gusts over 100 mph.

Tropical storm force winds (39+ mph) extend out 140 miles from the center of circulation, and hurricane force winds (74+ mph) extend out 40 miles.

For the Carolinas, we can expect outer rain bands to move through during the day Friday, with heavy rainfall at times through the day Saturday, and scattered rain lingering into Sunday. Rainfall of 2″ to 6″ are possible in the WBTV viewing area, with wind gusts of 35+ mph possible. Severe storm chances for the weekend are low at this time, yet stay tuned to more WBTV weather forecast updates through the week, on possible changes to the severe threat.

Make sure you stay updated with the latest track on Hurricane Ian this week on the free WBTV First Alert Weather app for your phone. You can also turn on notifications to receive weather alerts, check the radar, see updated tropical tracks, and get your latest forecast on the go.

You can also get the latest weather forecast on WBTV’s app for Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV.

Meteorologist Jason Myers

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