As Ian's rains, winds move out, storm surge concerns remain for Florida Keys
MIAMI - After a day of persistent rain and gusty wind from Hurricane Ian, the Florida Keys are beginning to dry out.
However, there are still flooding concerns. A Storm Surge Warning remains in effect for the lower Keys including Key West through Big Pine Key.
Widespread flooding from storm surge, originating from the Gulfside, of 2 to 4 feet above normal high tide levels is expected from Key West through Big Pine Key. For several islands, this may allow the storm surge to pass over from Gulfside to oceanside. Many streets are expected to become impassable
A Storm Surge Watch remains in effect for the Middle and Upper Florida Keys, from Marathon through Ocean Reef, as well as islands east of Big Pine Key. Storm surge flooding 1 to 3 feet above normal high tides is possible.
The highest storm surge for the Gulfside/Bayside of the Middle Keys is expected Wednesday during the afternoon hours, with the storm surge in the Bayside of the Upper Keys gradually peaking Thursday through Friday.
While the winds are expected to continue decreasing throughout the day, there may be scattered squalls with wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph.
Monroe Co. officials said Wednesday morning that 6,400 people were without power in Lower Keys, from the Seven Mile Bridge south to Key West. There were no reported outages in Marathon north.
They said as powerlines are re-energized, people should stay away from ones that are downed or low-hanging.
The Snake Creek Bridge drawbridge is locked down to boat traffic.
The Key West International airport was closed Wednesday with plans to reopen at 8 a.m. Thursday.
US1 is passable at this time, including Sea Oats Beach in Islamorada, which had a washover Tuesday night and was impassable.