Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday in southwest Florida as one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the U.S., swamping streets with water and smashing trees along the coast while moving at a crawl that threatened catastrophic flooding across a wide area. See photos of the storm in Florida and Cuba, and its aftermath.
Hurricane Ian hits Florida

An Estero Island resident carries empty jerrycans as he walks to get off the island in search of gas, two days after the passage of Hurricane Ian, in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.
(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Eduardo Tocuya carries a dog he recovered in hopes of reuniting it with its owners, two days after the passage of Hurricane Ian, in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.
(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Police officers direct the traffic during a power outage after Hurricane Ian passed through the central Florida on September 29, 2022 in Bartow, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage.
(Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)

People clear a large tree off their home after Hurricane Ian passed through on September 29, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage.
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A man looks at his cellphone while drives a motorcycle through a flooded area after being hit by Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022 in Ponciana, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surges, and rain to the area causing severe damage.
(Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)

People walk along the beach looking at property damaged by Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022 in Bonita Springs, Florida. The storm made a U.S. landfall on Cayo Costa, Florida, and brought high winds, storm surges, and rain to the area causing severe damage.
(Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Norma Francisco mops the floor after about one foot of water inundated her home as Hurricane Ian passed through on September 29, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage.
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A man inspects damage to a marina as boats are partially submerged in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Florida, on September 29, 2022. – Hurricane Ian left much of coastal southwest Florida in darkness early on Thursday, bringing “catastrophic” flooding that left officials readying a huge emergency response to a storm of rare intensity. The National Hurricane Center said the eye of the “extremely dangerous” hurricane made landfall just after 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) on the barrier island of Cayo Costa, west of the city of Fort Myers. (Photo by Giorgio VIERA / AFP)
(Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)

A mermaid statue is left stranded on the shore in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Florida, on September 29, 2022. – Hurricane Ian left much of coastal southwest Florida in darkness early on Thursday, bringing “catastrophic” flooding that left officials readying a huge emergency response to a storm of rare intensity. The National Hurricane Center said the eye of the “extremely dangerous” hurricane made landfall just after 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) on the barrier island of Cayo Costa, west of the city of Fort Myers. (Photo by Giorgio VIERA / AFP)
(Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)

Residents inspect damage to a marina as boats are partially submerged in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Florida, on September 29, 2022. – Hurricane Ian left much of coastal southwest Florida in darkness early on Thursday, bringing “catastrophic” flooding that left officials readying a huge emergency response to a storm of rare intensity. The National Hurricane Center said the eye of the “extremely dangerous” hurricane made landfall just after 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) on the barrier island of Cayo Costa, west of the city of Fort Myers. (Photo by Giorgio VIERA / AFP)
(Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)

Carol Nies (L) and Heidi Smith survey the damage after Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 29, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage.
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Brenda Brennan sits next to a boat that pushed against her apartment when Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 29, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. Mrs. Brennan said the boat floated in around 7pm. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage.
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Brianna Renas, 17, inspects a fallen palm tree outside her home in Cape Coral after riding out Hurricane Ian with her family on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Cape Coral.
(Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Brianna Renas, 17, inspects a fallen palm tree outside her home in Cape Coral after riding out Hurricane Ian with her family on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Cape Coral. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Just before the Sanibel Causeway, a spiral staircase was deposited in the brush next to a white pickup as Hurricane Ian passed the area Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 in Sanibel, Fla. Hurricane Ian has left a path of destruction in southwest Florida, trapping people in flooded homes, damaging the roof of a hospital intensive care unit and knocking out power to 2.5 million people.
(Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Just before the Sanibel Causeway, a spiral staircase was deposited in the brush next to a white pickup as Hurricane Ian passed the area Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 in Sanibel, Fla. Hurricane Ian has left a path of destruction in southwest Florida, trapping people in flooded homes, damaging the roof of a hospital intensive care unit and knocking out power to 2.5 million people. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

This photo provided by Orange County Fire Rescue’s Public Information Office, Orange County firefighters help people stranded by Hurricane Ian early Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 in Orange County, Fla. Ian marched across central Florida on Thursday as a tropical storm after battering the state’s southwest coast, dropping heavy rains that caused flooding and led to inland rescues and evacuations.
(Orange County Fire Rescue’s Public Information Office via AP)

This photo provided by Orange County Fire Rescue’s Public Information Office, Orange County firefighters help people stranded by Hurricane Ian early Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 in Orange County, Fla. Ian marched across central Florida on Thursday as a tropical storm after battering the state’s southwest coast, dropping heavy rains that caused flooding and led to inland rescues and evacuations.
(Orange County Fire Rescue’s Public Information Office via AP)

Businesses in downtown Fort Myers, Fla., suffered damage from Hurricane Ian Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 in Fort Myers, Fla., Hurricane Ian has left a path of destruction in southwest Florida, trapping people in flooded homes, damaging the roof of a hospital intensive care unit and knocking out power to 2.5 million people.
(Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Businesses in downtown Fort Myers, Fla., suffered damage from Hurricane Ian Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 in Fort Myers, Fla., Hurricane Ian has left a path of destruction in southwest Florida, trapping people in flooded homes, damaging the roof of a hospital intensive care unit and knocking out power to 2.5 million people. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

A section of the causeway leading to Sanibel, Fla., in Lee County was knocked out by Hurricane Ian Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. Hurricane Ian has left a path of destruction in southwest Florida, trapping people in flooded homes, damaging the roof of a hospital intensive care unit and knocking out power to 2.5 million people.
(Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A section of the causeway leading to Sanibel, Fla., in Lee County was knocked out by Hurricane Ian Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. Hurricane Ian has left a path of destruction in southwest Florida, trapping people in flooded homes, damaging the roof of a hospital intensive care unit and knocking out power to 2.5 million people. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

A blown down street sign is seen as the eye of Hurricane Ian passes by in Punta Gorda, Florida on September 28, 2022. – Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida September 28, 2022, with the National Hurricane Center saying the eye of the storm made landfall at 1905 GMT as high winds and heavy rain pounded the coast. (Photo by Ricardo ARDUENGO / AFP)
(Photo by RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images)

A foutain inside a condominium blows almost horizontal as residents tape their windows for alleged security, south of Orlando, Florida on September 28, 2022. – Hurricane Ian slammed into the coast of southwest Florida as a monster Category 4 storm on September 28, 2022 bringing “catastrophic” storm surges, wind and flooding as officials readied a huge emergency response. (Photo by Gregg Newton / AFP)
(Photo by GREGG NEWTON/AFP via Getty Images)

SARASOTA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 28: Brent Shaynore runs to a sheltered spot through the wind and rain from Hurricane Ian on September 28, 2022 in Sarasota, Florida. Ian made landfall this afternoon, packing 150-mile-per-hour winds and a 12-foot storm surge and knocking out power to nearly 1.5 million customers, according to published reports.
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

SAINT PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 28: Local residents walk in the middle of rain and heavy wind at the St. Pete pier as the Hurricane Ian hits the west coast on September 28, 2022 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Ian is hitting the area as a likely Category 4 hurricane.
(Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)

SARASOTA, FL – SEPTEMBER 28: A tree is uprooted by strong winds as Hurricane Ian churns to the south on September 28, 2022 in Sarasota, Florida. The storm made a U.S. landfall at Cayo Costa, Florida this afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane with wind speeds over 140 miles per hour in some areas.
(Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

A house is boarded up with a message about Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Ian in Dunedin, Florida ahead of Hurricane Ian making landfall on September 28, 2022. – Ian intensified to just shy of catastrophic Category 5 strength Wednesday as its heavy winds began pummelling Florida, with forecasters warning of life-threatening storm surges after leaving millions without power in Cuba. (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP)
(Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)

Gusts from Hurricane Ian hit in Punta Gorda, Florida on September 28, 2022. – Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida September 28, 2022, with the National Hurricane Center saying the eye of the storm made landfall at 1905 GMT as high winds and heavy rain pounded the coast. (Photo by Ricardo ARDUENGO / AFP)
(Photo by RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images)

SARASOTA, FL – SEPTEMBER 28: Storm debris litters a street in the wake of Hurricane Ian September 28, 2022 in Sarasota, Florida. Ian made landfall this afternoon, packing 150-mile-per-hour winds and a 12-foot storm surge and knocking out power to nearly 1.5 million customers, according to published reports.
(Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Sail boats lie on the bottom of Charlotte Harbor during a tide retreat as the eye of Hurricane Ian passes by in Punta Gorda, Florida on September 28, 2022. – Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida September 28, 2022, with the National Hurricane Center saying the eye of the storm made landfall at 1905 GMT as high winds and heavy rain pounded the coast. (Photo by Ricardo ARDUENGO / AFP)
(Photo by RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images)

Waves crash along the Ballast Point Pier ahead of Hurricane Ian, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Ian’s most damaging winds have begun hitting Florida’s southwest coast as the storm approaches landfall.
(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
Waves crash along the Ballast Point Pier ahead of Hurricane Ian, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Ian's most damaging winds have begun hitting Florida's southwest coast as the storm approaches landfall. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Access roads to the Sunshine Skyway bridge are blocked off as the span is closed due to high winds from Hurricane Ian on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Hurricane Ian has made landfall in southwestern Florida as a massive Category 4 storm.
(Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Access roads to the Sunshine Skyway bridge are blocked off as the span is closed due to high winds from Hurricane Ian on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Hurricane Ian has made landfall in southwestern Florida as a massive Category 4 storm.(Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

This satellite image taken at 3:06 p.m. EDT and provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Ian making landfall in southwest Florida near Cayo Costa, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, as a catastrophic Category 4 storm.
(NOAA via AP)
This satellite image taken at 3:06 p.m. EDT and provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Ian making landfall in southwest Florida near Cayo Costa, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, as a catastrophic Category 4 storm. (NOAA via AP)

The entrance to the Walt Disney theme park is seen as the park is closed as Hurricane Ian bears down on Florida, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
(AP Photo/John Raoux)
The entrance to the Walt Disney theme park is seen as the park is closed as Hurricane Ian bears down on Florida, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

A damaged apartment from an apparent overnight tornado spawned from Hurricane Ian at Kings Point 55+ community in Delray Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Ian’s most damaging winds have begun hitting Florida’s southwest coast as the storm approaches landfall.
(Carline Jean /South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
A damaged apartment from an apparent overnight tornado spawned from Hurricane Ian at Kings Point 55+ community in Delray Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Ian's most damaging winds have begun hitting Florida's southwest coast as the storm approaches landfall. (Carline Jean /South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

This image provided by the Naples Fire Rescue Department shows firefighters looking out at the firetruck that stands in water from the storm surge from Hurricane Ian on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022 in Naples, Fla. Hurricane Ian has made landfall in southwestern Florida as a massive Category 4 storm.
(Naples Fire Department via AP)
This image provided by the Naples Fire Rescue Department shows firefighters looking out at the firetruck that stands in water from the storm surge from Hurricane Ian on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022 in Naples, Fla. Hurricane Ian has made landfall in southwestern Florida as a massive Category 4 storm. (Naples Fire Department via AP)

The entrance to the Sea World theme park is seen as the park is closed today and Thursday as Hurricane Ian bears down on Florida, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Orlando, Fla.
(AP Photo/John Raoux)

Paula Bowles, of Atlanta, speaks to a reporter at the Orlando International Airport ahead of Hurricane Ian, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. The airport is closing all operations and travelers still inside the faciluty will be moved to a shelter.
(AP Photo/John Raoux)

People walk where water is receding out of Tampa Bay due to a negative surge ahead of Hurricane Ian, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Tampa, Fla.
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)
People walk where water is receding out of Tampa Bay due to a negative surge ahead of Hurricane Ian, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

A truck pulls a man on a kayak on a low-lying road after flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, in Key West, Fla., Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 28, 2022.
(AP Photo/Mary Martin)
A truck pulls a man on a kayak on a low-lying road after flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, in Key West, Fla., Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Mary Martin)

A man walks through a flooded street in front of a hotel powered by an oil generator during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. Cuba remained in the dark early Wednesday after Hurricane Ian knocked out its power grid and devastated some of the country’s most important tobacco farms when it hit the island’s western tip as a major storm.
(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

A man walks on the road to Playa Cajio, which has been cut off by the storm surge of Hurricane Ian, in Artemisa, Cuba, Tuesday, September 27, 2022. Ian made landfall at 4:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday in Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province, where officials set up shelters, evacuated people, rushed in emergency personnel and took steps to protect crops in the nation’s main tobacco-growing region.
(AP Photo/Ismael Francisco)

Two tourists talk in the middle of the street during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. Cuba remained in the dark early Wednesday after Hurricane Ian knocked out its power grid and devastated some of the country’s most important tobacco farms when it hit the island’s western tip as a major storm.
(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Huge waves crash against a seawall in the wake of Hurricane Ian in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. Cuba remained in the dark early Wednesday after Ian knocked out its power grid and devastated some of the country’s most important tobacco farms when it hit the island’s western tip as a major storm.
(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Huge waves crash against a seawall in the wake of Hurricane Ian in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. Cuba remained in the dark early Wednesday after Ian knocked out its power grid and devastated some of the country's most important tobacco farms when it hit the island's western tip as a major storm. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Fallen electricity lines, metal and tree branches litter a street after Hurricane Ian hit Pinar del Rio, Cuba, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. Ian made landfall at 4:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday in Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province, where officials set up shelters, evacuated people, rushed in emergency personnel and took steps to protect crops in the nation’s main tobacco-growing region.
(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

People walk where water is receding out of Tampa Bay due to a negative surge ahead of Hurricane Ian, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Tampa, Fla.
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)
People walk where water is receding out of Tampa Bay due to a negative surge ahead of Hurricane Ian, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Wind blows palm trees ahead of Hurricane Ian in Charlotte Harbor, Florida, on September 28.
(AFP via Getty Images/RICARDO ARDUENGO)

A woman takes photos of the surf on Tampa Bay ahead of Hurricane Ian, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Tampa, Fla.
(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Utility trucks are staged in a rural lot in The Villages of Sumter County, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified as it neared landfall along Florida’s southwest coast Wednesday morning, gaining top winds of 155 mph (250 kph), just shy of the most dangerous Category 5 status.
(Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
Utility trucks are staged in a rural lot in The Villages of Sumter County, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified as it neared landfall along Florida's southwest coast Wednesday morning, gaining top winds of 155 mph (250 kph), just shy of the most dangerous Category 5 status. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

An airplane overturned by a likely tornado produced by the outer bands of Hurricane Ian is shown, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Fla. Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified as it neared landfall along Florida’s southwest coast Wednesday morning, gaining top winds of 155 mph (250 kph), just shy of the most dangerous Category 5 status.
(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
An airplane overturned by a likely tornado produced by the outer bands of Hurricane Ian is shown, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Fla. Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified as it neared landfall along Florida's southwest coast Wednesday morning, gaining top winds of 155 mph (250 kph), just shy of the most dangerous Category 5 status. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)