Hurricane Idalia updates: Storm expected to become dangerous Cat 4 at Florida landfall
Tampa, Fla. - Hurricane Idalia is continuing to gain strength and is expected to become a dangerous Category 4 storm by the time it makes landfall in Florida. A Tornado Watch has been issued for parts of Florida as the storm moves north until 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Idalia was upgraded to a Category 2 storm 5 p.m. Tuesday. It's expected to bring life-threatening storm surge. Hurricane conditions are expected along portions of the Gulf Coast of Florida Tuesday evening and Wednesday.
Idalia was upgraded to a hurricane early Tuesday morning as it continued to make its way into warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
As of 1 a.m. Wednesday, Hurricane Idalia was located at 28.1 degrees longitude and 84.6 degrees latitude. It had maximum sustained winds of 110 miles an hour and was moving north at 16 miles per hour.
Hurricane Idalia info: County-by-county
FOX 13 Chief Meteorologist Paul Dellegatto says he is highly confident in the track and that hurricane force winds will stay mainly off the west coast. He says the biggest threat continues to be storm surge flooding at the times of high tide early Wednesday morning and again in the late morning through mid-afternoon hours.
FOX 13 Meteorologist Dave Osterberg says the warmest water we’ve ever seen in the Gulf of Mexico, combined with weakening wind shear mixed with an upper-level outflow fanning out will allow Hurricane Idalia to breathe and rapidly intensify to a major hurricane.
Osterberg says the Bay Area will have 100 mile per hour winds off the coast and while we may not see those winds onshore, we are likely to have a storm surge.
He predicts Hurricane Idalia will make landfall will be early Wednesday morning northwest of Cedar Key.
He expects Hurricane Idalia to reach category 3 strength before it makes landfall in the Big Bend. At this point, Sadiku says he does not expect the track to shift much as it moves north.
Hurricane Idalia timeline: What to expect as storm hits Florida
He did caution that while the Bay Area is not in Hurricane Idalia’s direct path, we are on the east side of a storm that will have winds of 120 miles per hour, putting it just under category 4 strength.
That means the Bay Area is likely to see a storm surge of 4-7 feet, with a storm surge of 10-15 feet for the northern counties.
A storm surge is in effect for Englewood northward toward Indian Pass, including Tampa Bay.
In the Bay Area, a hurricane warning is in effect for the middle of Longboat Key northward to Indian Pass, including Tampa Bay while a tropical storm warning is in effect for Chokoloskee northward to the middle of Longboat Key.
A hurricane watch is in effect for Englewood to the Middle of Longboat Key.
Hurricane watches and warning are posted ahead of Hurricane Idalia's landfall.
LINK: Track Idalia on MyFoxHurricane.com
Evacuations
Mandatory evacuations are in place in Hernando County for all communities west of US 19. County officials are those living in low-lying areas or mobile homes need to prepare. Hernando County will open shelters Monday afternoon in its schools, which is why classes have been canceled.
Mandatory and voluntary evacuations have been issued for certain areas of Pasco County as Tropical Storm Idalia heads toward the Gulf Coast. Click here to see your evacuation zone.
You must evacuate if one or more of the following applies to you:
- You live in Evacuation Zone A
- You live in a manufactured home, mobile home or RV anywhere in Pasco
- You live in a low-lying area or an area prone to flooding
- You live in a structure that historically has experienced flooding during heavy rainfall
- You’re in an area ordered evacuated by local authorities due to life-safety hazards
You should evacuate if:
- You live in Evacuation Zones B or C
- You’re registered with Pasco as a special needs resident
- You would be vulnerable in the event of a power loss
Pinellas County has ordered the mandatory evacuation of Zone A, including all mobile homes, effective as of Monday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. Residents can find their zone here.
In Hernando County, voluntary evacuations have been issued for all areas west of US 19, which includes evacuation zones A, B, and C. All residents living in coastal and low-lying areas, as well as manufactured homes county wide, are included. Residents are advised to seek safe shelter with family or friends that reside in a safe structure. If this is not a possibility, public shelters will open at noon on Monday.
Hillsborough County has issued a mandatory evacuation for residents in Zone A, as well as those in mobile and manufactured homes and residents in low-lying areas prone to flooding.
In Manatee County, residents living in Zone A are under a mandatory evacuation, which those in Zone B are under a voluntary evacuation.
Sarasota County is calling for a Level A evacuation. Evacuation Centers opened at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, August 29.
MacDill Air Force Base announced a base-wide evacuation that is to be completed by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 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.
State of Emergency
Ahead of the storm, Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 46 Florida counties, including the Tampa Bay Area, "out of an abundance of caution."
The state of emergency was issued to the following counties:
- Alachua
- Baker
- Bay
- Calhoun
- Charlotte
- Citrus
- Clay
- Collier
- Columbia
- DeSoto
- Dixie
- Duval
- Flagler
- Franklin
- Gadsden
- Gilchrist
- Gulf
- Hamilton
- Hardee
- Hernando
- Hillsborough
- Lake
- Jefferson
- Lafayette
- Lee
- Leon
- Levy
- Liberty
- Madison
- Manatee
- Marion
- Nassau
- Pasco
- Pinellas
- Polk
- Putnam
- Sarasota
- Seminole
- St. Johns
- Sumter
- Suwannee
- Taylor
- Union
- Volusia
- Wakulla
School Closures
Citrus County
On Monday, August 28, the County will operate on a half-day schedule. All schools will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
All after-school programs and extra-curricular activities have been canceled beginning Monday afternoon until further notice.
DeSoto County
DeSoto County schools will be closed August 29 and Wednesday, August 30.
Hardee County
The Hardee County School District will be closed on Tuesday, August 29 and Wednesday, August 30 due to Tropical Storm Idalia.The school district plans to reopen on Thursday, August 31.
Hernando County
All schools will be closed Monday through Wednesday.
All Pasco-Hernando State College campuses will be closed and classes canceled Tuesday, August 29 and Wednesday, August 30. Normal operations are expected to resume on Thursday August 31 unless otherwise notified. Campuses will be open and classes remain as scheduled for Monday, August 27.
Hillsborough County
All Hillsborough County schools will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. All after-school programs & extra-curricular activities will also be suspended. Officials expect to reopen the schools on Thursday. Hillsborough Community College is also closed on Tuesday and Wednesday as is Keiser University Tampa.
Highlands County
Normal operations at all schools and district offices on Tuesday, except for the Highlands Career Institute. There will not be classes for HCI students on Tuesday. Highlands Career Institute staff are to report to work at SFSC. The daycare will remain open.
Sports teams may practice until 6 p.m., but all games are canceled.
All schools and district offices are closed on Wednesday and all afterschool and school-related activities are canceled.
All schools and district offices are open for normal operations on Thursday and all extracurricular and school related activities will resume.
Manatee County
Manatee County public schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
Pasco County
Pasco County public schools will be open on Monday, August 28, but will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday and resume regular school hours on Thursday.
Polk County
Schools and district offices will be closed on Wednesday, Aug. 30, and Thursday, Aug. 31,
Sarasota County
All public schools will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Schools are expected to reopen on Thursday, pending a post-storm evaluation.
Sumter County
On Tuesday, August 29 all Sumter County Schools will follow an early dismissal schedule. On Wednesday August 30, school is canceled for all students and staff, except for emergency shelter workers. At this time, Thursday, August 31 will be a work day for employees on more than a 203‐day contract. This will help insure campuses are ready for school on Friday, September 1.
Tampa International Airport will also suspend operations as of 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday.