Hurricane Ian remnants to impact Maryland sooner than expected, after stops in Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia

The worst of Hurricane Ian may have already passed in Florida, but the now-Tropical Storm is expected to make a speedy trip up the East Coast, including a jaunt out to sea and another landfall somewhere in the South. Yesterday, Ian's timetable for arrival in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and North Virginia area began to look like it was slipping from early next week to this weekend. Now, Accuweather is forecasting the first rains of Ian to arrive in the Mid-Atlantic as early as tomorrow. 

Tropical rain showers are now expected all weekend, and showers may continue from Monday into Wednesday. This does not look good for events like Taste of Bethesda this Saturday. Rain associated with Ian will arrive well ahead of the actual storm center, which is expected to pass through Maryland sometime Sunday night or early Monday morning.

Ian has further business south of here first, however. After crawling across mainland Florida, the storm will go back over the Atlantic, and make another landfall tomorrow evening. Accuweather currently predicts Ian's landfall will be somewhere near the border of Georgia and South Carolina Friday night; the National Hurricane Center's prediction is for a landfall in South Carolina. 

The full impact of Ian's second landfall, and the strength of the storm's remnants when it arrives here in the D.C. area, will be determined by how long it drifts over the waters of the Atlantic prior to Friday night's landfall. The National Hurricane Center says the storm could again near hurricane strength as it approaches land.

Ian already has shown plenty of destructive power after making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. Over 2 million utility customers in Florida are currently without electricity. Accuweather reports that every customer in Hardee County, Florida is in the dark. Part of the Sanibel Causeway collapsed, the only bridge between Sanibel Island and mainland Florida. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said earlier this morning that helicopter rescues are being performed on barrier islands by the Coast Guard and Florida National Guard. He said 100 portable cell towers are being set up to restore some level of phone service, and that power line infrastructure in the hardest hit areas would in some cases have to be entirely rebuilt. Pine Island Bridge, like the Sanibel Causeway, is damaged and impassable, he added.

Fox Weather reports that there are believed to be hundreds of fatalities in Lee County, Florida, according to the sheriff there. Accuweather reports one confirmed death in Florida from Hurricane Ian, a 72-year-old man in Deltona. He slipped down a hill behind his home into a flooding drainage ditch while trying to drain his pool as the storm approached his area at 1:00 AM this morning. Fox Weather also reports Ian has caused a 200-year flood event in Orlando. More than a foot of rain has fallen on the city.

DeSantis said his state has all of the supplies it needs for storm victims. "It's much better to donate financially, rather than sending items. We've got a lot of items," he said at a news conference this morning. Those seeking to help storm victims displaced in Florida can have the greatest impact by donating funds at FloridaDisasterFund.org, or text DISASTER to 20222, he said. Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis said the fund has already raised $1.6 million in the last 24 hours.

Tropical Storm Ian's current location is 40 miles east of Orlando, the National Hurricane Center reports. Its current maximum sustained winds are at 65 MPH, and it is moving NE at 8 MPH.

Graphic courtesy Accuweather.com

Strong-arm robbery at Rockville grocery store

Rockville City police responded to a report of a strong-arm robbery at a grocery store Monday night, September 26, 2022. The robbery was reported at a supermarket in the 1800 block of Rockville Pike at 9:15 PM Monday. There is a Safeway store on that block.

McCormick Paints to open store at White Flint Plaza

McCormick Paints will open a new store at 5268 Nicholson Lane at White Flint Plaza. McCormick has an existing location on Lewis Avenue in Rockville. The new store is expected to open in early 2023. It will face competition from a nearby and also-new Sherwin-Williams store.

Hurricane Ian still on track to eventually hit Maryland; now nearing landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm

Hurricane Ian is still on a track that will eventually take it to Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia, according to a model posted by Accuweather.com. The newest update shows the storm making its turn toward the Atlantic Ocean at a slightly later point than predicted earlier, with the center of the storm now passing north of Washington and more directly over Baltimore, before heading out to sea over Atlantic City. This track is subject to change from many variables.

Accuweather forecasts the storm arriving in the Mid-Atlantic on Sunday or Monday. It predicts Ian will drop about an inch of rain on our area by the time it moves off to the Atlantic.

Earlier this hour, the National Hurricane Center reported that Hurricane Ian's current location is 75 miles WSW of Naples, Florida, and has strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane. It is moving north-northeast at 10 MPH. Maximum sustained winds are near 140 MPH, with gusts over 140 MPH. Landall on the Gulf Coast of Florida is expected this afternoon, according to ABC News.

Graphics courtesy Accuweather.com

Amazon Fresh Shady Grove Road store still has empty shelves (Photos)

There's still no official opening date for the Amazon Fresh store at the 270 Center on Shady Grove Road, on the border of Rockville and Gaithersburg. On my latest trip by, the shelves inside the store remained bare. An Amazon Fresh store opened recently at Chevy Chase Lake, so they may just be staggering the openings so they can focus on ensuring a smooth launch at each store, especially with all of the technology involved with the Just Walk Out checkout system.

Will Hurricane Ian hit the Washington D.C. area? This newest track shows it's very likely.

Hurricane Ian's current location is 325 miles south-southwest of Key West, Florida, according to the National Hurricane center. But after Ian hits the Gulf Coast of Florida - currently anticipated to occur Thursday - as a potential Category 4 storm upon landfall, will its path ultimately affect the Washington, D.C. area, including Rockville and Montgomery County in Maryland? Accuweather's latest track shows a very good chance that it will.

The last position forecast on the map at this time predicts Ian will pass east of Atlanta, west of Charlotte, and be aimed directly at the Washington, D.C. area as it arcs back toward the Atlantic Ocean. At that position on October 3, 2022, Accuweather shows Ian directly north of Lynchburg, Virginia. Extending the path from that point on the same curvature would show the remnants of Ian making a direct hit on the Washington, D.C. area. Accuweather predicts Ian will have maximum sustained wind gusts of 35 MPH as of that time, and maximum wind gusts of up to 46 MPH - certainly well below hurricane-force winds, but still a risk for downed trees and power lines.

Of course, forecasters can't even guarantee the exact point where Ian will make landfall in Florida yet, so much of this model's track could easily change. But what it does show is that there are strong odds the storm will greatly impact our area for at least one day next week, with the potential for high winds, heavy rain, flooding and tornadic activity. Now is the time to think ahead, and ensure you have batteries, a half-tank of gas in your car, some extra non-perishable food on hand if power goes out, and a battery-powered radio.

Images courtesy of Accuweather.com

Maryland GOP Lt. Governor candidate to appear in Montgomery County September 27

The Republican nominee for Maryland lieutenant governor, Gordana Schifanelli, will appear at a free event in Potomac tomorrow evening, September 27, 2022 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. It will be held at the Old Anglers Inn at 10801 MacArthur Boulevard. While admission is free, RSVP online to attend. 

Schifanelli is running on the GOP ticket with gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump. Cox and Schifanelli will face Democratic gubernatorial nominee Wes Moore and lieutenant governor candidate Aruna Miller in the November general election.

Photo via Gordana Schifanelli for Lt. Governor of Maryland Facebook