Hurricane Ian is heading toward Florida with winds of 125 miles per hour

Hurricane Ian passed western Cuba as a Category 3 storm toward the west coast of the US state of Florida, with flights canceled and thousands of homes told to evacuate.

Heavy rain was falling on parts of Florida as the hurricane advanced into the state, after it made landfall in western Cuba early Tuesday morning as a Category 3 storm, with winds of about 125 miles per hour, according to the New York Times.

According to the Cuban authorities, about 50,000 Cubans were evacuated.