PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — When Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida, it brought with it a devastating storm surge, brutal winds and flying tree branches.
During a live broadcast from Punta Gorda, Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore was smacked in the legs by one of those branches. He didn't appear to be injured.
Cantore is well known for reporting in extreme weather conditions.
In the report, Cantore is heard saying, "Alrighty, you know what, think I'm just going to come in here for a second," while he struggles against the wind to move from the street to the sidewalk.
He then holds onto a street sign while struggling to remain upright the winds that were recording gusting at 110 mph.
"I'm fine," he says. "You just can't stand up."
Hurricane Ian reached the shores of southwest Florida on Wednesday and made landfall as one of the strongest storms on record to hit the state.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm made its official landfall just after 3 p.m. near Cayo Costa, bringing with it devastating storm surge flooding and maximum sustained winds of 150 mph.
That made it a Category 4 hurricane — one of just a few of that strength to reach Florida in modern times, with Ian's 150 mph winds stronger than all but a few storms in the state's recorded history.
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