Hurricane Ian

"Your first flight was my worst flight ever," a pilot who flew over Hurricane Ian said. "It was the worst thing you could want to happen as a pilot."

With top sustained winds of 155 mph, Hurricane Ian is a strong Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, but only four hurricanes have ever struck the U.S. with stronger winds.

Thousands of people were evacuated and others left the area ahead of the arrival of Ian, which caused flooding, damaged houses and toppled trees.

Hurricane Ian is quickly gaining monstrous strength as it moves over oceans partly heated up by climate change, just like 30 other Atlantic tropical storms since 2017 that became much more powerful in less than a day.

Major airlines are allowing passengers to rebook flights without a fee, but each airline’s travel waiver has different restrictions and deadlines.

The polluted leftovers of Florida’s phosphate fertilizer mining industry are at risk for leaks or other contamination when Hurricane Ian comes ashore, environmental groups say.