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The Category 3 hurricane was about 5 miles south of the city of
Pinar Del Rio, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, the U.S.
National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Ian is expected to strengthen further on Tuesday after cutting a
swath through Cuba's farm country west of the capital Havana and
emerging over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, reaching Category
4 strength before it approaches the Florida west coast, the NHC
said.
The Biden administration declared a public health emergency for
the state of Florida on Monday, in anticipation of the storm's
arrival, and said it was working with local officials to provide
support.
Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cuba's Pinar del Rio province
early on Tuesday, prompting officials to cut power to the entire
province and evacuate 40,000 people from low-lying coastal
areas, according to local media reports.
As of 6:30 a.m., regional broadcaster TelePinar reported an
eerie calm in the city of around 145,000 people as the eye
hovered over the area, but warned of fierce winds to follow.
Cuban state-run media reported strongest winds to date from Ian
at 130 mph (208 kmh) at San Juan y Martinez, a small town on
Cuba's southwest coast.
Pinar del Rio province is a lightly populated region but a top
producer of farm crops and tobacco. State-run media said 33,000
tonnes of tobacco from prior harvests had been secured ahead of
the storm.
Rain and winds buffeted Havana early on Tuesday, but the city,
under a tropical storm watch and preparing for a potential storm
surge, looked likely to be spared the brunt of Ian's strongest
winds.
The hurricane hits Cuba at a time of dire economic crisis.
Hours-long blackouts had become every day events across much of
Cuba - even before the storm - and shortages of food, medicine
and fuel are likely to complicate efforts to recover from Ian.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center warned of a
life-threatening storm surge, flash floods and possible
mudslides across western Cuba on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Dave Sherwood in Havana and Brijesh Patel and Deep
Vakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Nick Macfie and Alison Williams)
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