Idalia became a hurricane on Tuesday as it intensified on a path toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, with the National Hurricane Center warning of an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds in Florida in the next two days.
Hurricane Idalia was about 390 kilometres south-southwest of Tampa at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, with maximum sustained winds of 150 km/h, the hurricane centre said. Idalia was moving north at 24 km/h.
“You still have time this morning to make your final preparations … but you got to do that now,” Gov. Ron DeSantis announced at the state’s emergency operations
