Hurricane Ian now a fierce Cat 3 as track shifts south and early rains sweep Florida

This article tracking Hurricane Ian is available for free as a public service to all readers.

Hurricane Ian’s projected path shifted slightly Tuesday, on a track that would push the powerful storm to an earlier potential landfall south of the Tampa Bay area — a small but significant change for a Gulf Coast vulnerable to storm surge. If the track holds — and forecasts stress that it may still change — it could reduce the flooding threat to Tampa Bay but raise it for coastal communities to the south like...