Hurricane Ian updates: Florida death toll climbs

Lee County, which encompasses Fort Myers, accounts for most of the fatalities.

The remnants of Ian are charging up the East Coast on Saturday after making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in South Carolina on Friday afternoon.

The monster storm made its first U.S. landfall on Wednesday on Florida's west coast as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, shredding homes with ferocious winds topping 150 mph. Florida's death toll has climbed to at least 81, according to information from local officials.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Sep 25, 2022, 12:13 PM EDT

NASA to decide whether to take Artemis rocket off launchpad

NASA engineers will decide on Sunday whether to remove the Artemis rocket from the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Officials plan to meet at 7 p.m. to look at the latest data and determine how soon or if they need to take Artemis off the launch pad.

The Artemis I unmanned lunar rocket sits on launch pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Sept. 24, 2022.
NASA/AFP via Getty Images

The launch of the rocket has already been postponed twice β€” once in August due to technical glitches and another earlier this month due to a fuel leak.

If the launch is not delayed again, the attempt to launch on Oct. 2 will remain in place.

-ABC News' Gina Sunseri

Sep 25, 2022, 12:05 PM EDT

Tropical Storm Ian will rapidly intensify Sunday, forecasts show

Ian remains a tropical storm with winds of 50 mph, but the storm system is expected to rapidly intensify on Sunday as it moves over warm waters in the Caribbean Sea, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The seawater currently carries very favorable conditions for strengthening over the coming days, with temperatures between 85 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit -- the perfect temperatures for fueling a powerful storm as it stays over open water.

Ian is expected to strengthen to a hurricane by Sunday night and into a major hurricane later Monday night as it passes by Cuba.

The projected track of Tropical Storm Ian as of 5am on Sunday morning is shown on an ABC News weather graphic.
ABC News

The NHC currently forecasts Ian to strengthen into a major Category 4 hurricane on Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico as it heads toward Florida.

Ian is expected to make landfall on the west coast or the panhandle of Florida on Wednesday or Thursday.

Residents stock up on supplies in anticipation of the arrival of Tropical Storm Ian which may develop into a hurricane by the time it reaches some areas, Davie, Fla., Sept. 23, 2022.
Emilio Gonzalez/@RildeGonzalez/Twitter

Some weakening could occur before the storm system makes landfall, possibly dipping below major hurricane status before impacting coastal communities.

A hurricane warning is currently in effect for the western portion of Cuba, where flooding rains and major storm surge are forecast.

-ABC News' Riley Winch

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