Watch live: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis news conference on Hurricane Ian, now a Category 4

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is scheduled to hold a press conference Wednesday morning, ahead of the U.S. landfall of Hurricane Ian, at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.

Hurricane Ian became a Category 4 hurricane early Wednesday, and neared a Category 5 with winds topping 150 mph.

Watch a livestream of the video here, which is expected to start at 7:30 a.m. ET.

Ian impacts 'going to be far and wide'

In a Pinellas County press conference, DeSantis and officials from throughout the Tampa Bay area said they are concerned that Ian could be the hurricane the region has long dreaded.

“This could be the storm that we have all feared so we advise everyone in the Tampa Bay area to please take this seriously… please understand that these evacuations are very serious," said Attorney General Ashley Moody. "You need to make preparations now."

With many low-lying communities, the Tampa Bay region is particularly vulnerable to storm surge.

“The prospect of having a hurricane come on shore in the Tampa Bay area is real,” DeSantis said.

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John Gallas manages a digital audience and optimization team that works with several newsrooms in Florida. Support their work by subscribing to a local news organization. And find him on Twitter as @JohnGallasNJ.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Live video: Ron DeSantis on Hurricane Ian's impending Florida landfall