Weather Reporter Hit By Flying Tree Branch At Hurricane Ian Landfall – Deadline


Category 4 Hurricane Ian made landfall this afternoon near Fort Meyers, Florida with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. In doing so, it became the fifth-largest storm to hit the U.S. mainland — at least in recorded history — and the Weather Channel was there to cover it.

Meteorologist Jim Cantore was at ground zero to document the storm’s arrival, an assignment that is not without its risks.

Cantore was doing a live man-on-the-street report in sustained 61 mph winds — with gusts to 110 mph — when he was blown backward as a tree branch shot across the street, hit him in the leg and knocked him over.

The footage also gives a sense of just how hard Cantore has to struggle to remain in place — much less upright — further evidence of which is the street sign blown down behind him as he grabs onto another for balance.

You can see the video below.

In what seems to be a later clip, Cantore has taken refuge on a building balcony saying,”We have come up her for safety from the surge…and where we were earlier, it looks like there’s three or four feet of water. Waves crashing over the area from earlier this morning.”

He continues, “This is one of the worst hurricanes I have ever been in. It may be the worst in terms of covering over 25 years and 90 storms.

“It looks like a North Atlantic Ocean storm here in Fort Meyers,” the meteorologist says looking out over the rising muddy waters and waves breaking closer and closer to the balcony. “The ocean, the river and the gulf has taken over everything.”





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