Hurricane Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm Thursday morning, but continued to cause devastation as it moved over central Florida.

More than 2.5 million people across Florida were without power after the storm tore into the state as one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the U.S. It has caused widespread devastation, including major floods that have trapped residents in their homes.

Ian had maximum sustained winds of near 65 mph with higher gusts early Thursday as it moved towards the western Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center. By 5 a.m., the storm was around 55 miles southwest of Cape Canaveral and moving northeast at 9 mph, the hurricane center said.

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What initially formed as Tropical Depression Nine early Friday strengthened that night into Tropical Storm Ian, the hurricane center said.

The center had warned as Ian advanced towards Florida that the hurricane was “expected to cause life-threatening storm surge, catastrophic winds and flooding in the Florida Peninsula.”

The storm was forecast to bring 12 to 18 inches of rain to central and northeast Florida, 6 to 8 inches to the Florida Keys and South Florida, according to the NHC.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday declared a state of emergency for 24 counties when the system was a tropical depression.

On Saturday, he expanded that to apply statewide, citing the risk of a major hurricane making landfall on Florida’s western coast.

President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Florida on Thursday to ensure federal resources would be dedicated to recovery efforts.

Earlier, Biden had also postponed a Florida trip scheduled for Tuesday because of the storm, the White House said Saturday. The president had planned to go to Fort Lauderdale and then to a Democratic National Committee rally in Orlando. The committee said the rally had been postponed.

A hurricane had not made landfall on the Florida Peninsula in five years, since Irma in 2017, while the northwestern part of the state was pummeled by Sally in 2020 and Michael in 2018.

Jay Blackman and Chantal Da Silva contributed.

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