Stunning visuals show lightning crackling around the eye of Hurricane Ian as it sweeps over the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida

insider@insider.com (Cheryl Teh) - Tuesday

Footage from the GOES-16 satellite showed bolts of crackling purple lightning around the eye of Hurricane Ian. Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (CIRA/CSU & NOAA).

© Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (CIRA/CSU & NOAA).

Satellite imagery showed the eye of Hurricane Ian as it passed over Cuba.

Also seen in the satellite footage was crackling purple bolts of lightning.

The hurricane is expected to strike Florida's Gulf coast on Wednesday.

Stark satellite footage of Hurricane Ian as it tears over the Gulf of Mexico shows its sheer scale — and the lightning crackling near the eye of the storm.

Footage of the hurricane was picked up by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's GOES-16 satellite on Tuesday.

A clip that tracked the hurricane's progress from 9.25 to 11.12 a.m. EST showed it swirling over the Gulf of Mexico. The satellite also picked up numerous bolts of lightning — represented in the clip with purple flashes — around the storm's clear eye.



Hurricane Ian is barreling toward Florida, prompting advice from Gov. Ron DeSantis for people to evacuate or seek shelter as soon as possible. The storm left Cuba's power grid decimated after hitting the country on Tuesday.

Related video: Key Changes To Hurricane Ian Forecast Ahead Of Florida Strike
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The Weather Channel



Hurricane Ian barrels towards Florida as Category 3 storm CNN

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the hurricane is expected to make landfall on Wednesday and could become a Category Four storm by the time it hits. The hurricane grew in strength from a tropical storm to a Category 3 hurricane within a single day, a phenomenon that research suggests is becoming more common as global temperatures rise.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Ian is likely to cause a "life-threatening storm surge" and "catastrophic winds and flooding in the Florida peninsula."

"On the forecast track, the center of Ian is expected to pass west of the Florida Keys within the next few hours, and approach the west coast of Florida within the hurricane warning area on Wednesday," read the National Hurricane Center's public advisory on Tuesday night.

"The center of Ian is forecast to move over central Florida Wednesday night and Thursday morning and emerge over the western Atlantic by late Thursday," the advisory read.