MIAMI, FL (352today.com) – The latest update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) says Hurricane Idalia continues to strengthen and as of the 11 p.m. update expected to become a Category 4 hurricane before it makes landfall.
The Latest – 11 p.m. update
Idalia was located about 125 miles west of Tampa and about 185 miles south of Tallahassee.
Hurricane Hunter aircraft data indicate that maximum sustained winds are 110 mph, a Category 2, just one mile per hour short of being a Category 3.
The NHC storm track forecasts Idalia to come ashore in the Big Bend area of Florida on Wednesday morning.
Catastrophic storm surge between 12 and 16′ is anticipated in some areas.
Destructive winds will knock out power. Gov. Ron DeSantis says the state is well-prepared to get power restored as quickly as possible with more than 30,000 linemen and equipment staged and ready to respond.
After landfall, the center of Idalia is forecast to turn toward the northeast and east-northeast, moving near or along the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina late Wednesday and Thursday.