Lightning flashes as Tropical Storm Idalia forecast to hit Florida
Tropical Storm Idalia has now strengthened into a hurricane off the coast of Cuba as it continues to chart a path towards Florida, where hundreds of residents have been ordered to evacuate their homes.
The National Hurricane Center announced at around 5am ET on Tuesday that Idalia is now a hurricane and is expected to rapidly intensify into an extremely dangerous major hurricane before making landfall on Wednesday.
After charting a path over the Gulf of Mexico, the storm is expected to curve northeast toward the west coast of Florida.
A state of emergency was issued in 46 counties, a broad swath that stretches across the northern half of the state from the Gulf Coast to the Atlantic Coast, as residents loaded up on sandbags and headed to emergency shelters.
Several counties have issued evacuation orders amid fears that the storm could bring “life-threatening” surges and flooding.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a press conference on Monday: “The property – we can rebuild someone’s home. You can’t unring the bell, though, if somebody stays in harm’s way and does battle with Mother Nature.”
