Projected path of Hurricane Ian. Courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.

As Hurricane Ian is making its way closer to Florida, Virginia is gearing up to support the Sunshine State in its response to the first significant storm to hit its shores since 2018. The governor’s office said Tuesday evening that the administration of Gov. Glenn Youngkin has received “an urgent request from Florida” to assist in response efforts for the incoming hurricane.

“Virginia will be assisting Florida with an Incident Management Response Team and they are deploying today. Virginia is ready to assist Florida with personnel and in any way possible for the incoming weather,” the statement said.

As of Tuesday evening, Hurricane Ian was a category 3 storm, headed for landfall along Florida’s west coast after making landfall briefly in Cuba. By 8 p.m. the storm was traveling through the Gulf of Mexico with maximum sustained winds of 120, moving north at 10 mph.

But the hurricane currently does not pose a significant threat to Virginia, according to the governor’s office. “The most likely threat to the Commonwealth from Hurricane Ian is rainfall at this time,” the statement said. 

Ian’s track. Courtesy of National Hurricane Center.

Markus Schmidt is a reporter for Cardinal News. Reach him at markus@cardinalnews.org or 804-822-1594.