(Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Ian, projected to be one of the costliest storms in US history, prompted mass evacuations, school shutdowns and thousands of flight cancellations across the third-largest state. That would rank Ian as the eighth-costliest US hurricane, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from Ian’s center and tropical-storm strength winds reach out 140 miles, the agency said. About 2.5 million people along Florida’s Gulf coast were urged to evacuate in advance of Hurricane Ian, Governor Ron DeSantis said in a Tuesday afternoon briefing. Tampa International Airport suspended operations Tuesday and American Airlines Group Inc. issued a travel alert for 20 airports in the western Caribbean and Florida.
