Hurricane Idalia upgraded to Category 3 as it nears Florida coast
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Florida authorities describe Idalia as a once-in-a-lifetime event for the state's northwest coast, as mass evacuation orders and flood alerts continued to be issued.
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Tropical Storm Idalia moves between Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, left, and Cuba, right, at 9:40 AM (AP)
According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane Idalia was upgraded to a Category 3 storm on Wednesday as it moved toward Florida.
In an advisory issued at 2:00 AM EST (0600 GMT), the agency said: "Idalia is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Additional strengthening is forecast, and Idalia is forecast to become a category 4 hurricane before it reaches the Big Bend coast of Florida this morning".
"Hurricane Hunter aircraft data indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 120 mph (195 km/h) with higher gusts," it continued, adding: "Idalia is likely to still be a hurricane while moving across southern Georgia, and possibly when it reaches the coast of Georgia or southern South Carolina late today."
Here are the Key Messages for Hurricane Idalia for the Tuesday am advisory. #Idalia is expected to intensify into an extremely dangerous major hurricane before landfall along the west coast or Big Bend region of Florida. More: https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ pic.twitter.com/AV2NrctxlN
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 29, 2023
Florida authorities have described Idalia as a once-in-a-lifetime event for the state's northwest coast, as mass evacuation orders and flood alerts continued to be issued.
The NHC voiced expectations of warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico to turbocharger the storm, with wind speeds of 130-156 miles per hour forecast, as it warned of a potentially disastrous storm surge of 10-16 feet (3-5 meters) in some coastal areas.
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Ahead of the category upgrade, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) chief Deanne Criswell said: "Very few people can survive being in the path of a major storm surge, and this storm will be deadly if we don't get out of harm's way and take it seriously".
Tropical Storm Idalia emerged in the Caribbean and affected southeastern Mexico with wind and rainfall.
Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in 33 counties as a precautionary measure against the impending storm. In the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, which encompasses popular tourist destinations like Cancun, Idalia caused rain and impacted the final weekend of summer vacations.
Furthermore, substantial rainfall is anticipated in parts of Mexico's eastern Yucatan and western Cuba.
