A severe cyclone has forced the House select committee looking into the Capitol riot of January 6 to postpone its next public hearing, the panel’s leaders announced Tuesday.

The hearing, which was originally set for Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET, will now take place at a future date that will be announced, according to a joint statement from Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Vice Chair Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

We have chosen to postpone tomorrow’s events since Hurricane Ian is headed toward sections of Florida, according to Thompson and Cheney.

“We’re wishing everyone in the storm’s path safety. We will shortly set a date for the further proceedings, and the Select Committee’s probe will continue, they added.

After Hurricane Ian, a Category 3 hurricane that was predicted to batter Florida with strong winds and copious rain, made landfall in Cuba, the delay occurred.

By Tuesday night, Ian could become a Category 4 hurricane, according to forecasters.

The ninth session of the panel will be the first since late July.

The committee is looking into the events leading up to the riot that occurred on January 6, 2021, when a crowd of Donald Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol.

President Joe Biden’s win over Donald Trump in the 2020 election was temporarily stalled by the uprising, which prompted lawmakers to leave their chambers.

The panel was scheduled to play clips of Roger Stone, a longtime Trump confidant and political operative, discussing contesting the results of the 2020 election during the now-postponed hearing, according to NBC News.

Less than two months remain until the midterm elections, in which Republicans hope to reclaim the majority in the House and Senate. The postponement was announced just before those elections.

Cheney, who was defeated by a candidate favoured by Trump in the GOP primary last month, has promised to use all legal means at her disposal to prevent Trump from becoming president. However, Trump continues to play a significant role in the Republican Party as he is widely seen as the front-runner to get the party’s presidential nomination in 2024.

The committee must also deliver a final report to the president and Congress by the end of the year that includes its conclusions and recommendations.