Climate
Hurricane Ian: Tampa's Sunshine Skyway Bridge withstands force of storm
A surveillance camera from the Department of Transportation captured how the Sunshine Skyway Bridge was on the verge of flooding after the passage of Hurricane Ian
September 28, 2022 6:23pm
Updated: September 28, 2022 8:40pm
A surveillance camera captured images Wednesday of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa, Florida, moments ahead of Category 4 Hurricane Ian making landfall on Florida's southwest coast with maximum sustain winds at 150 mph, just 7mph short of a Category 5 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The Florida Highway Patrol closed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa Bay in both directions Wednesday morning after winds from Hurricane Ian reached 60 mph in that area at that time.
The bridge will remain closed until the storm passes and severe weather eases, the Department of Transportation says.
Recorded as one of the strongest storms to ever hit Florida, Category 4 Hurricane Ian made landfall in the state Wednesday, near Cayo Costa, an island close to Fort Myers. The dangerous storm weakened as the state experienced catastrophic storm surge, winds and flooding since early in the day.
Huracán Ian en Florida: así resiste el puente Sunshine Skyway de Tampa la fuerza del ciclón | Hurricane Ian: Tampa's Sunshine Skyway Bridge withstands force of storm pic.twitter.com/dsr1tut4Kw
— ADN America (@AmericaAdn) September 29, 2022
More than 1.1 million of outages were reported in Florida, while hundreds of thousands of Floridians had received mandatory evacuation orders in preparation for Ian's powerful storm tides, high winds and flooding rains.
Only four Category 5 hurricanes have hit the continental United States in records dating back to 1851.
Videos on social media show massive flooding in Fort Myers. National Weather Service (NWS) Director Ken Graham called the hurricane's landfall "extremely dangerous."
