Will Hurricane Ian hit Tampa and St. Petersburg? Here’s the latest forecast track

Tampa and St. Petersburg are in the path of Hurricane Ian, which will approach the area sometime during the day on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Ian could be a Category 4 hurricane as it approaches the coast.

Hurricane warnings are in effect from around Port Charlotte north past Clearwater, including Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota. The hurricane center warned of heavy rainfall, destructive winds and life-threatening storm surge are possible, and evacuations are under way in many coastal areas.

The system strengthened into a hurricane Monday morning and a state of emergency is in effect for nearly the entire state.

Here’s the latest forecast track including the so-called “spaghetti models,” which show the range of possible tracks based on various computer models:

[ READ IN SPANISH: ¿Llegará el huracán Ian a Tampa? Aquí está la última pista de pronóstico  ]