Idalia has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as the storm heads toward the Gulf coast of Florida, and it is expected to rapidly intensify before making landfall on Wednesday as a dangerous major hurricane.
As of 7 a.m. on Tuesday, the center of the storm was located approximately 135 miles to the west-southwest of the Dry Tortugas and around 320 miles to the south-southwest of Tampa, according to an update from the National Hurricane Center.
Idalia currently has maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour with higher gusts. Hurricane-force winds (74+ mph) extend outward up to 15 miles from Idalia’s center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 160 miles.
The hurricane is moving north at around 14 mph. The National Hurricane Center states that the storm is expected to head northward throughout the day on Tuesday, followed by a faster north-northeast motion later on Tuesday and Wednesday.
On the forecast track, the center of Idalia is forecast to move over the eastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, reach the Gulf coast of Florida on Wednesday within the hurricane warning area, and move close to the Carolina coastline on Thursday.
Idalia is expected to rapidly intensify, and the storm could become an “extremely dangerous major hurricane” before making landfall on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Tropical storm and hurricane warnings are in effect across northeast Florida, and wind conditions will deteriorate beginning on Tuesday evening. The National Hurricane Center states that heavy rain is expected into Thursday (4 to 8 inches), and up to 12 inches of rain is possible, primarily near landfall in northern Florida.
Marion County Emergency Management officials are encouraging residents to sign up for the emergency notification system ‘Alert Marion.’ Those who sign up will receive text message alerts, emails, and phone calls regarding severe weather in the area.