Florida braces for 'extremely dangerous' storm as Hurricane Idalia closes in: Live updates

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DEBARY, Fla . − Idalia grew to hurricane strength Tuesday morning, a treacherous tropical cyclone plowing past Cuba into the Gulf of Mexico and poised to intensify as it drives a potentially deadly storm surge toward the Big Bend area of Florida’s west coast.

“Rapid intensification is likely through landfall,” National Hurricane Center specialist Eric Blake said in an update. “Idalia is forecast to become an extremely dangerous major hurricane before landfall on Wednesday.”

Idalia, steering winds of 80 mph, was centered about 320 miles southwest of Tampa and headed toward the coast early Tuesday. A hurricane warning was issued along hundreds of miles of Florida coastline.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, at a briefing Tuesday, said highway tolls were being waived, shelters were opening and hotels were prepared to take evacuees. More than 30,000 utility workers were preparing to repair outages when the storm passes.

DeSantis said landfall appeared to be headed toward Taylor County, southeast of Tallahassee. But he said it was too early to know exactly where the storm would hit.

“Everybody on the Gulf Coast from Tampa Bay to northwest Florida must be vigilant,” he said. “You’re going to see some nasty weather.”

What is rapid intensification?How Idalia could quickly become a major hurricane before landfall

Developments:

∎ Idalia was heading north at 14 mph early Tuesday and could gain power and speed as it curves to the north-northeast late Tuesday and Wednesday.

∎ The center of Idalia was forecast to move over the eastern Gulf of Mexico today, reach the Gulf coast of Florida within the hurricane warning area on Wednesday, and move close to the Carolina coastline on Thursday.

∎ Idalia could still be a hurricane when it crosses into Georgia.

Florida is on storm surge watch :Here’s what that means

Follow the path of Idalia as storm heads for Florida

Small wobble could drastically alter storm’s impact

Floridians are anxiously waiting to see if Idalia follows the forecast track, or makes any kind of last-minute wobble to the east that could bring worse-than-expected impacts from wind and water. Hurricane Ian last year and Hurricane Charley in 2004 curved toward a landfall a little earlier than expected.  Any movement closer to land could increase the effects of storm surge, rain and higher winds closer to the center of the hurricane.  

One neighborhood near Tampa Bay on Tuesday morning illustrated the gamut of emotions among residents on the west coast, but outside the forecast cone. One was putting up shutters, while another was laying sod.  Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, stressed that everyone should prepare for the worst.

“The storm is going to be here soon,” Guthrie said.  “I implore you to finalize your disaster preparedness actions right now.”  

Storm surge as high as 12 feet; evacuation orders in 22 counties

Idalia was forecast to make landfall overnight Tuesday or early Wednesday as a major hurricane with sustained winds near 120 mph. Storm surge − a sudden rise in water levels along beaches and into inland waterways − as high as 12 feet could slam the coast south of Florida’s Big Bend near the eventual point of landfall. Storm surge of at least 2-3 feet was possible along the state’s entire west coast, depending on how Idalia’s landfall coincides with full moon high tides. A storm surge of 4-7 feet could occur in Tampa Bay, the hurricane center warned. 

Ryan Truchelut, chief meteorologist at Florida-based WeatherTiger, said Idalia will likely bring “catastrophic surge” to much of the west-central Florida and Big Bend coastline and a core of destructive winds to parts of North Florida. Idalia could become just the second Category 3 or higher hurricane − winds exceeding 110 mph − to make landfall there in the past 170 years, he said.

At least 22 of Florida’s 67 counties have evacuation orders in place and schools have closed in many counties as residents prepare for high winds and potential flash flooding. 

What is storm surge?:Explaining a hurricane’s deadliest and most destructive threat

Evacuation orders:Hurricane Idalia rapidly intensifying; 22 Florida counties under evacuation orders

Up to 16 inches of rain, tornadoes possible

Rainfall of 4-8 inches is forecast along portions of the state’s west coast and Panhandle, as well as along the path of the storm through Southeast Georgia and the eastern Carolinas, with isolated amounts up to 12 inches near where Idalia makes landfall, the National Weather Service said. Some isolated areas could see 16 inches.

Cities such as Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, are likely to observe a few inches of rain as Idalia moves along the Carolina coasts before gradually curving northeastward over the Atlantic Ocean,  AccuWeather said.

“Tornadoes can also occur to the east of the center of the circulation as it moves across Florida,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said.

Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore seen on Cedar Key

Sunday posts on X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter, that indicated The Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore would show up in Florida were confirmed Monday. Cantore is long known for being in the middle of major storm events. An X user whose handle is Lt. Col. William Reid tweeted a photo from a Cedar Key restaurant, presumably Steamers: “Ran into the Jim Cantore while having dinner.”

Photos of the restaurant’s page on Facebook show a “dollar bill wall,” similar to the dollar bill wall in Reid’s tweet. Cantore has quite a history in Florida storms. You can read more here.

— Jennifer Sangalang, USA TODAY Network-Florida 

Contributing: Jennifer Borresen