'Be vigilant': Idalia intensifying, could slam Florida as major hurricane. Live updates
'Be vigilant': Idalia intensifying, could slam Florida as major hurricane. Live updates
Tropical Storm Idalia was intensifying Monday and threatened to slam across Florida's Gulf Coast sometime Wednesday as a major hurricane with "life-threatening storm surge and dangerous winds," the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm was forecast to reach hurricane strength later Monday, hurricane center forecaster Eric Blake wrote in a morning advisory.
Hurricane watches were in effect along almost 400 miles of the Florida Coast, from Indian Pass, near Panama City on Florida's Panhandle, to Englewood, 50 miles north of Fort Myers. A major hurricane is a Category 3, 4 or 5 storm or higher on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind speed scale. A storm becomes a Category 3 hurricane when when maximum wind speeds reach at least 111 mph.
"Hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area ... within the next12-24 hours," Blake said. "Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion."
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has declared a state of emergency for half the state's counties, warned that trees will come down and power outages are "just going to happen." The state mobilized 1,100 National Guard members with 2,400 high water vehicles and 12 aircraft to prepare for rescues, he said. The state's emergency operations center in Tallahassee shifted into around-the-clock operations Monday morning.
"These things can wobble, so Floridians along our Gulf Coast should be vigilant, even if you are currently outside" the likely track of the storm, he said.
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