Ian, now a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph winds, has strengthened on Tuesday and is forecast to strengthen even more into the night.

The latest track shows Ian making landfall on Wednesday, striking the west coast of Florida between Tampa and Fort Myers, bringing flooding and damaging winds.

Hurricane warnings are in effect from Tampa to Fort Myers and storm surge warnings are in effect for a large portion of Florida’s west coast.

There is also a risk for tornadoes in Florida Tuesday and Wednesday.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell warned Tuesday, "Floridians are going to experience the impacts from the storm for a very long time."

"Our biggest concern as we wait for this storm to make landfall is storm surge," Criswell said. "In 2018, when Hurricane Michael impacted the Florida Panhandle, there were five recorded fatalities as a result of storm surge. So therefore, if people are told to evacuate by their local officials, please listen to them. The decision you choose to make may mean the difference between life and death."

President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged residents to "evacuate when ordered."

Biden said he spoke to the mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater Tuesday morning and told them to "contact me directly" for "whatever they need."

Criswell said a search and rescue coordination group has been activated, including members from FEMA's urban search and rescue teams, the Coast Guard, the Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior.

The Red Cross has established 29 shelters and is prepared to open 60 more shelters if needed, she said.

Criswell stressed, "To those who may be watching at home, get ready and do not underestimate the potential that the storm can bring."

The Orlando International Airport said operations will stop at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport is closing at 1 p.m. Tuesday while Tampa International Airport is suspending flights at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The Sarasota Bradenton International Airport is closing at 8 p.m. Tuesday while the Melbourne Orlando International Airport will stop flights at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Hurricane Ian’s track is moving south, with landfall forecast for late afternoon Wednesday between Tampa and Fort Myers as a Category 3 storm.

The storm surge forecast for Tampa Bay has dropped from 10 feet to 8 feet. But now the predicted storm surge for Fort Myers has increased and could be as high as 12 feet.

Tampa International Airport, St. Pete-Clearwater International, Orlando International Airport and Jacksonville International Airport are all set to reopen Friday.

Tampa's first flight is scheduled to arrive at 10:35 a.m. and Orlando will resumer passenger flights after noon. The reopening will be gradual. Orlando already has 445 canceled flights today. Tampa has 152 canceled as of 9:45 a.m.

Jacksonville reopened its Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at 7 a.m. and the airport will be on a reduced operating schedule Friday.

The Federal Aviation Agency closed the Fort Myers airspace to provide a safe environment for search and rescue. It will remain closed Friday.

The Fort Myers Airport will be closed for days, with the FAA saying it won't reopen until at least Oct. 7. United Airlines has canceled all flights out of the airport at least through Monday.

The airports with the most cancelations Friday are Orlando, Tampa and Charlotte, North Carolina.

-ABC News' Sam Sweeney