Storm Idalia to become ‘major’ category 3 hurricane before reaching Florida

Jump to content Sign up to our newsletters Subscribe News Sport Voices Culture Lifestyle Travel Premium Climate News Stuti Mishra Monday 28 August 2023 11:30 Comments Close Tropical Storm Idalia is expected to hit Florida after intensifying into a category 3 hurricane , with fears that the storm could bring ‘life-threatening’ surges and flooding. The storm was located near the coast of Cuba on Sunday on a potential track to come ashore as a hurricane in the southern US by Tuesday or Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center said. Forecasters said they expected Idalia to become a hurricane on Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico and then curve northeast toward the west coast of Florida. The storm is currently packing maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kmh). A state of emergency was issued for half of Florida’s counties on Saturday, with governor Ron DeSantis asking residents to ‘have a plan and a stocked supply kit and follow @FLSERT for updates.’ ‘This thing hasn’t even gotten to Cuba yet, and the water in the Gulf is very, very warm and so that will provide some fuel for this thing to pick up some more speed,’ Florida governor Ron DeSantis said at a briefing on Sunday. 1693218648 This map from the National Hurricane Center shows which areas could see high sea waves as tropical storm Idalia barrels towards Florida, where it is forecast to become a category 3 ‘major’ hurricane. In some areas marked in red, the NHC forecast shows storm surges could be over 7 feet high. While others, including the Tampa Bay area, could see a surge between 4-7 feet. Map from National Hurricane Centre shows forecast for peak storm surge from tropical storm Idalia Stuti Mishra 28 August 2023 11:30 1693216953 Tropical storm Idalia is now forecast to become a category 3 “major hurricane” before it reaches the Gulf of Florida, the National Hurricane Center has said in its latest advisory. The storm was earlier expected to intensify to category 2 on Tuesday as it inches closer to land, but the fact it has lingered over warmer waters near the coast has made the storm stronger. The risk “continues to increase for life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane force winds”, the NHC said in its 5am advisory. Stuti Mishra 28 August 2023 11:02 1693215048 A day after appearing in Iowa, governor Ron DeSantis was back in the state capital of Tallahassee on Sunday for a news conference on Tropical Storm Idalia. He urged Floridians to heed the advice of emergency managers. Mr DeSantis said in a statement that he issued his executive order ‘out of an abundance of caution to ensure that the Florida Division of Emergency Management can begin staging resources and Floridians have plenty of time to prepare their families for a storm next week.’ ‘I encourage Floridians to have a plan in place and ensure that their hurricane supply kit is stocked,” he said. Forecast models have the storm curving to the northeast toward Florida, coming ashore along the Gulf coast north of Tampa near the Big Bend area and then heading diagonally across the state to emerge again in the Atlantic Ocean near southeast Georgia. Stuti Mishra 28 August 2023 10:30 1693213248 Meteorologists and weather experts tracking tropical storm Idalia have raised alarms over how quickly the storm is intensifying as it is forecast to become a category 2 hurricane when it reaches the US coast. Extreme weather expert Colin McCarthy called it ‘ominous signs for Florida’ as Idalia spends ‘much more time over the hot waters of the Caribbean than initially anticipated.’ ‘@NHC_Atlantic is currently forecasting landfall as a Category 2 hurricane near Cedar Key, but hurricane models continue to suggest a major hurricane could be possible at landfall,’ Mr McCarthy wrote. Stuti Mishra 28 August 2023 10:00 1693211475 Idalia is expected to bring storm surges up to seven feet high in the Tampa Bay area when it reaches the coast of Florida, experts warn, adding that such high waves can ‘inundate numerous low-lying areas in the region’. ‘The forecast for #stormsurge continues to increase,’ writes Craig Ceecee, a meteorologist. ‘Notice that in the Tampa Bay area, 4 to 7 feet is now the forecast. That will inundate numerous low-lying areas in the region.’ ‘If you are asked to evacuate, do so. If you can’t due to money or vehicle, call 211 for help.’ Stuti Mishra 28 August 2023 09:31 1693209636 Stuti Mishra 28 August 2023 09:00 1693207824 Hurricane Franklin, another storm formed in the Atlantic apart from Idalia, is forecast to become the Atlantic’s first major hurricane of the season on Monday. The storm is on track to pass close to Bermuda on Wednesday, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. At around 11pm Eastern time (0300 GMT), Franklin was about 530 miles (855 km) southwest of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds nearing 105 mph (165 kph), the Miami-based centre said in an advisory. “Additional strengthening is forecast, and Franklin is forecast to become a major hurricane on Monday,” the advisory said. A tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of above 110 mph (177 kph) or higher is considered a major hurricane. Stuti Mishra 28 August 2023 08:30 1693206624 Large parts of the western coast of Florida are at risk of seawater surging onto land and flooding communities, experts say, asking residents to “pay attention” as tropical storm Idalia approaches. That part of Florida is very vulnerable to storm surges, Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, said on Sunday. “So it will not take a strong system or a direct hit to produce significant storm surge,” he said. “So if you’re anywhere along the Florida Peninsula, western Florida Peninsula, so let’s say from about Fort Myers northward to the Panhandle, you’ve really got to be paying attention.” Stuti Mishra 28 August 2023 08:10 1693204224 A state of emergency was issued for half of Florida counties on Saturday ahead of a potential hurricane that is on track to hit the state. ‘I’ve signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency for 33 counties in preparation…,’ Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. The National Hurricane Center expects Idalia to strengthen into a hurricane over the eastern Gulf of Mexico Stuti Mishra 28 August 2023 07:30 1693203024 The path of tropical storm Idalia shows it heading towards Florida’s Gulf Coast by Tuesday night into Wednesday. Idalia could come with winds of up to 100 mph (160 kph), according to the latest forecasts from the Hurricane Center. That would make it a Category 2 hurricane. Stuti Mishra 28 August 2023 07:10 Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in