Hurricane Ian made landfall shortly after 2 p.m. Central Time near Cayo Costa, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, making it a strong Category 4 hurricane.
The storm is moving north-northeast at nine miles per hour.
It is forecast to degrade to a strong tropical storm by the time it passes over the Orlando area in about 24 hours.
Ian becomes the strongest hurricane to hit Florida since Category 5 Hurricane Michael devastated the Panama City Beach area in 2018, and is the fifth-strongest hurricane on record to hit the United States, tied with hurricanes Laura (2020) and Ida (2021).