(NewsNation) — High winds and torrential rains are battering the Gulf Coast of Florida as Hurricane Ian amasses power and prepares to make landfall.

NewsNation meteorologist Gerard Jebaily said the shape of Florida’s coast is helping fuel the power of the storm as it nears land.

“You’ve got the effect of the wind of the ocean … you also have the shape of the coastline, so you’ve got a funneling effect, it’s piling all the water,” Jebaily said. “Why the surge happens in the first place is this is a spiraling inwards storm and all that in basically pulling inwards. When you have it pushing against a coastline, its got nowhere to go.”

Jebaily and NewsNation anchors Leland Vittert and Marni Hughes are tracking Ian live. Jebaily’s full analysis of the impact of Florida’s shape on the storm can be viewed above.