Hurricane Ian Continues Battering Florida, Weakens To Category 3

 Hurricane Ian continues to batter Florida and is threatening the states of North and South Carolina, but has weakened to a category 3, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in advisories.

Earlier, when Ian made landfall as a category 4 hurricane, maximum sustained winds had reached 140 miles per hour, according to the advisory issued by the NOAA / National Weather Service agency.

However, the NHC said the storm has weakened to a category 3 in an advisory at 8:00 p.m. EST and winds had died down to 115 mph.

Ian however continues to batter the Florida peninsula with catastrophic storm surge, winds, and flooding, the agency added.