Tropical Storm Idalia forecasted to hit Florida as a major hurricane: Latest updates

The NWS has warned that Idalia may cause “life threatening” storm surges to western Florida.

Storm surge is caused by strong winds from weather systems like tropical storms and hurricanes pushing ocean water inland. Not only can the surge waters flood coastal areas, they can also overflow coastal rivers and wetlands, causing massive flooding in the surrounding regions.

Forecasters believe that Idalia may bring up to 11 feet of storm surge to areas of the western Florida coast.

Storm surges can be exceptionally deadly and disruptive, completely inundating roadways and leaving residents who don’t evacuate trapped on the roofs of their homes, assuming it doesn’t uproot the house completely.

The White House revealed details of a call between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the federal government today as state and federal officials prepare for Storm Idalia to make landfall on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told Mr DeSantis that its National Response Coordinaton Centre has been “fully activated” to provide support and assistance.

Two Incident Management Teams have been deployed to Tallahassee, and Urban Search and Rescue teams have been activated and will be ready as of this evening to respond to emergencies, according to the memo.

FEMA said that it has a staging team at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and a warehouse in Atlanta stocked with emergency supplies for distribution in Florida following the storm.

Manatee County Board of Commissioners Chairman Kevin Van Ostenbridge told residents that officials were preparing for a “direct hit” by Storm Idalia when it makes landfall as a likely Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday.

Mr Van Ostenbridge expleind that should the hurricane continue on its current course, it would make landfall north of Manatee County, but noted that if it were to take a right turn — which it may — it would be on a direct path to the county.

He said officials were preparing for it to hit the county directly just in case it takes a turn.

The National Hurriance Centre is reporting that tropical storm Idalia’s wind speeds have increased to 70mph.

The storm is making its way past Cuba, after which it will enter the Gulf of Mexico, where it is expected to gain strength before making landfall in western Florida on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane.

A Tropical Storm typically becomes a Category 1 hurricane when its wind speeds reach between 74 and 95mph.

The storm is currently moving approximately 8mph .

Tropical Storm Franklin has strengthened into a hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Saturday.

As of 11am Eastern time, Hurricane Franklin was about 315 miles east-northeast of Grand Turk Island, the capital island of the Turks and Caicos, and 620 miles south of Bermuda, forecasters said.

The hurricane’s winds had increased up to 75 mph, and NHC said that is had the potential to become a major hurricane by early next week – marking the first of the 2023 Atlantic season.

The MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa has issued a mandatory evacuation for all non-critical staff.

“A mandatory base-wide evacuation order has been issued to be completed by 10:00am Tues. Aug. 29 for non-mission essential individuals and dependents and for those who reside in Evac Zone A in the following counties: Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Pasco and Hernando.”

Florida officials are warning drivers of potential fuel contamination at dozens of gas stations on the Gulf Coast as residents brace for the landfall later this week of Tropical Storm Idalia.

On Monday, Idalia was near the coast of Cuba and on a potential track to come ashore as a hurricane in the southern U.S. in the coming days, the National Hurricane Center said.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said late Sunday that gasoline purchased after 10 a.m. Saturday at some Citgo-supplied stations had a strong likelihood of being contaminated with diesel fuel. Citgo identified 29 affected stations — sold at chains like 7-Eleven, BJ’s Wholesale and other convenience stores — in cities including Tampa, Fort Myers, Sarasota and more.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has opened the State Operations Center to help coordinate response activities in anticipation of Storm Idalia, which is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane. The governor announced in a statement that the center — used by federal, state and local authorities as well as volunteer organisations— will monitor the storm’s progress and oversee response efforts in its wake.

“Thanks to our response partners on both the state and local levels, Georgia will be prepared for whatever Idalia will bring,” Mr Kemp said in the announcement.

He noted that the storm will likely have weakened by the time it enters Georgia, but wanted to be prepared for nonetheless.

The US Embassy in Cuba has closed its doors and will remain closed through Tuesday while Tropical Storm Idalia travels north toward the west coast of Florida.

“Tropical Storm Idalia is projected to develop into a Hurricane and pass over the western part of Cuba beginning today. This storm is expected to bring significant rainfall and wind that may result in life-threatening flooding, flash flooding, and storm surge,” embassy officials said in a statement. “Countrywide impacts are expected but the western provinces of Cuba are likely to feel more significant effects.”

The embassy announced its closure in a travel alert to Americans in Cuba, and advised them to prepare for possible disruptions to services like water and food availability due to the storm.

“U.S. citizens are advised to avoid beaches and coast lines and take shelter in safe locations away from low-lying areas and monitor weather updates,” the alert said. “It is advised to maintain several days of clean drinking water and food and make contact before, during, and after the storm with family members and loved ones.”

The embassy will close at 3pm on Monday, with officials noting that it may extend the closure if necessary.

The Tampa International Airport has announced it will close on Tuesday and presumably remain closed through Wednesday, when Tropical Storm Idalia is expected to make landfall in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane.

The airport will close tomorrow at 12:01am EST, officials said in a news release published on Monday.

The airport intends to remain closed until it can asses any damage caused by the hurricane, but officials anticipate reopening on Thursday, according to the press statement.

Closing the airport allows staff to prepare the grounds and facility for the storm’s arrival.

Officials also noted that the airport is not a shelter.