Coverage on this live blog has ended. Please click here for the latest updates.
Floridians were told to finish preparations, Tampa’s airport closed, and evacuation orders were issued as what is now Tropical Storm Idalia approached — likely as a hurricane.
Idalia is forecast to reach “major” hurricane status, meaning a Category 3, as it approaches Florida’s Gulf Coast.
The storm is forecast to reach the state’s coast on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said. Hurricane warnings and other warnings and advisories stretched along much of the coast.
What to know about the storm
- Tropical Storm Idalia was forecast today to become a hurricane as it gained strength near Cuba.
- Idalia could become a powerful Category 3 hurricane before it makes landfall Wednesday in Florida.
- Hurricane watches are in effect along the Gulf Coast of Florida, and evacuation orders have been issued.
- Idalia is expected to produce life-threatening storm surge inundation and hurricane conditions along parts of the Florida Gulf Coast. Flash and urban flooding are also likely from Idalia.
Forecasters and officials in Florida urged people to take precautions and finalize plans. Storm surges on the Gulf Coast could be measured in feet, and vulnerable areas of Jacksonville could face substantial flooding, residents were warned.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis activated members of the National Guard, and President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration that had been requested as the state prepares, FEMA said.
If peak surge happens at high tide, Tampa Bay could see a storm surge of between 4 to 7 feet, the National Hurricane Center said. Florida emergency officials have warned that storm surges are often the greatest risk to life and property from hurricanes.
‘It will not be safe to be moving about,’ NHC director warns Florida
The Gulf Coast of Florida where Idalia is expected to approach is very susceptible to storm surges, the National Hurricane Center director said today as he urged people to take precautions now.
Tampa Bay has the potential of 4 to 7 feet of storm surge, hurricane center Director Jamie Rhome said in a video briefing.
“I stand 6 feet tall. So that’s potentially above my head, in terms of storm surge,” Rhome said in the video.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management said on X, formerly Twitter, that storm surge is “often the greatest threat to life & property from a hurricane.”
Rhome said that people in the hurricane warned areas should prepare for power outages that last several days and that they should be prepared by getting their prescriptions and supplies and by keeping communications devices charged and topping off gasoline tanks.
“It will not be safe to be moving about — not just during the storm, but it might not be safe to move about for several days after,” Rhome said.
Atlas V launch scheduled for Cape Canaveral delayed due to Idalia
The launch of an Atlas V 551 rocket which had been planned for Cape Canaveral is being delayed because of possible impacts from Idalia, United Launch Alliance said.
The rocket and its payload are being returned to the “vertical integration facility,” it said. The rocket launch is part of a joint National Reconnaissance Office and U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command, ULA said.
A tropical storm watch covered parts of Brevard County, where Cape Canaveral is, as well as other parts of Florida’s Atlantic coast.
Idalia is forecast to approach Florida’s Gulf Coast, parts of which were under hurricane warnings and tropical storm warnings.
Idalia could bring feet of storm surge, forecasters say
If peak storm surge from Idalia occurs at high tide, areas of the Florida’s Gulf Coast could experience storm surges measured at 4 feet or more, forecasters said tonight.
At 11 p.m. ET, Idalia was a tropical storm but could become a hurricane “at any time,” the National Hurricane Center said in an update.
If peak surge happens at high tide, Tampa Bay could experience a storm surge of 4 to 7 feet, the agency said. Other areas could get 6 to 9, feet and a stretch from the Aucilla River to Chassahowitzka could get a surge of 8 to 12 feet, it said.
Other storm, Franklin, to bring rain and winds to Bermuda as it heads to sea
Another hurricane, Franklin, is expected to bring tropical storm conditions to Bermuda as it passes Wednesday, forecasters said, but it is heading away from the U.S.
Franklin will approach Bermuda on Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center said.
At 8 p.m. today, it was a “very powerful” Category 4 hurricane, the agency said. A tropical storm watch was in effect for Bermuda. The storm is forecast to pass well to the west of Bermuda.
The storm is to the east of the East Coast and will continue to move north and east, away from the U.S., the agency said.
Dry Tortugas park, islands west of Key West, closes
Dry Tortugas National Park said today it is closing in advance of Tropical Storm Idalia.
The national park is a series of islands and the waters around them west of Key West. It covers around 100 square miles known for coral reefs and blue waters.
Waters are still open for vessels seeking safe harbor, the National Park Service said.
“Mariners should continue to monitor the storm. There will be no visitor services available while the closure is in effect, and emergency services will be extremely limited,” it warned.
Jacksonville declares local state of emergency
Jacksonville declared a local state of emergency today as the city of close to 1 million prepares for Idalia.
Idalia, currently a tropical storm, is forecast to become a hurricane as it approaches the Gulf Coast of Florida. Jacksonville is on the Atlantic side, but residents will feel the impact, Mayor Donna Deegan said.
“Our message: Prepare for hurricane-strength conditions here in Northeast Florida,” she said.
There is the potential for “substantial flooding,” she said, as well as high winds and rip currents throughout the week.
“This is absolutely no time to be in the water, over the next couple of days it will be very dangerous,” Deegan said.
City crews “are going to have a long couple of days ahead of us” as the storm approaches Florida, Deegan said. The city's emergency operations center was opened this morning.
What Idalia might mean for Carolinas
Idalia ‘almost a hurricane’ near Cuba
Tropical Storm Idalia was “almost a hurricane” near Cuba’s western tip this evening, forecasters said in an update, and it had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph.
A Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale has sustained winds of 74 mph.
The storm is forecast to reach “major” status, which is a Category 3 or above, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Rapid strengthening is predicted during the next day or so, the center said in an 8 p.m. ET bulletin. “Idalia could become a hurricane at any time, and is forecast to become a major hurricane by late Tuesday or Tuesday night.”
