Storm Idalia strengthened into a hurricane in the early hours of Tuesday morning as forecasters predicted it would intensify and become “extremely dangerous” before slamming into the Florida coastline sometime in the next 24-hours.
“Idalia now a hurricane. Expected to rapidly intensify into an extremely dangerous major hurricane before landfall on Wednesday,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a public advisory.
A state of emergency has already been declared for 33 Florida counties, as Breitbart News reported.
Western regions of the state are expected to experience strong winds leading to power outages and coastal flooding.
This most recent tropical storm comes a little more than a week after Tropical Storm Hilary — labeled a category 4 — made landfall in Southern California, bringing record rain to the region, Breitbart News reported. It was the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years.
Major hurricanes are usually a Category 3 or higher on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale — storms that the NHC says can cause “devastating” and “catastrophic” damage, AFP reports.
A business owner packs up merchandise to move out of a waterfront store, ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Fla., Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. The hurricane is now forecast to become an extremely dangerous Category 3 storm, pushing a storm surge of up to 12 feet. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Residents fill sandbags to ward off flooding ahead of Storm Idalia at St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S., on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. (Juan Manuel Barrero Bueno/Bloomberg via Getty)
Residents place a wooden board to protect a house in St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S., on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. (Juan Manuel Barrero Bueno/Bloomberg via Getty)
At the time of the advisory, Idalia was about 370 miles (600 kilometers) south-southwest of Tampa, Florida, and packing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour).
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned the storm could have major impacts along the Gulf of Mexico, telling a news conference on Monday that evacuations would take place and residents should be prepared for potentially life-threatening storm surges.
Brooke Painter loads personal items into a van as she and her family evacuate their vacation rental ahead of the possible arrival of Hurricane Idalia on August 28, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty)
This will be the first storm to hit Florida this hurricane season and a potentially big blow to the state, which is also dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian.
Tampa International Airport and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport said they would close on Tuesday, and the Sunrail commuter rail service in Orlando was being suspended.
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