Ian Strengthens to Category 1 Hurricane As It Nears Cuba: NHC

Tropical storm Ian has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it nears western Cuba, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Monday.

"Ian becomes a hurricane," the NHC said in an advisory, warning that "additional rapid strengthening is expected today."

The storm was moving northwest toward Cuba and the Cayman Islands with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour, the NHC said, AFP reported.

It added that western Cuba was expected to bear the brunt of the storm on Monday when it could be hit by "significant wind and storm surge impacts."

People in the US state of Florida were also preparing for the storm's imminent arrival, with the NHC issuing a hurricane watch for the state's west coast, including Tampa Bay.