Photos, videos show strong winds, flooding, ‘reverse storm surge’ in Southwest Florida as Hurricane Ian strikes

NOAA captures extraordinary imagery of Hurricane Ian making landfall in Florida

SOUTHWEST FLORIDAHurricane Ian’s most damaging winds began hitting Florida’s southwest coast Wednesday, lashing the state with heavy rain and pushing a devastating storm surge after strengthening to the threshold of the most dangerous Category 5 status.

Fueled by warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Ian grew to a catastrophic Category 4 hurricane overnight with top winds of 155 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

LATEST UPDATES: ‘Extremely dangerous’ eyewall of Category 4 Hurricane Ian moving onshore

Members of the media and area residents began posting videos and photos on social media showing the impact as the storm hit the area, including what some are calling a “reverse storm surge” where the water was sucked out of Tampa Bay.

News4JAX will post the images below and update this story throughout the day:

The Naples Fire-Rescue Department posted this Facebook Live showing the current conditions in Naples. Rescue trucks are unusable due to the storm surge. They have already assisted with multiple water rescues.


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