Hurricane Ian Nears Cuba on Path to Strike Florida as Category 4

People make sandbags at MacFarlane Park, one of the city of Tampa's three sandbag sites, in Tampa, Fla., on Sept. 25, 2022. Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP

HAVANA—Hurricane Ian was growing stronger as it barreled toward Cuba on a track to hit Florida’s west coast as a major hurricane as early as Wednesday.

Ian was forecast to hit the western tip of Cuba as a major hurricane and then become an even stronger Category 4 with top winds of 140 mph (225 km/h) over warm Gulf of Mexico waters before striking Florida.