Hurricane Idalia path live updates: Storm strengthens, eyes Florida

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SPRING HILL, Fla . − Idalia grew to hurricane strength Tuesday, a treacherous tropical cyclone plowing past Cuba into the Gulf of Mexico and poised to intensify as it drives a potentially deadly storm surge toward the Big Bend area of Florida’s west coast.

The National Weather Service warned of a “life-threatening, dangerous situation,” saying the storm could make landfall as a major hurricane Wednesday − meaning winds in excess of 110 mph.

“To put this system into the historical context, there are no major hurricanes in the historical dataset going backto 1851 that have tracked into Apalachee Bay. None,” the advisory said. “Don’t mess around with this.”

Idalia, steering winds of 85 mph, was centered about 275 miles southwest of Tampa early afternoon Tuesday. A hurricane warning was issued along hundreds of miles of Florida coastline as the storm heads toward an apparent landfall along Florida’s Big Bend.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, at a briefing, said highway tolls were being waived, shelters were opening and hotels were prepared to take evacuees. More than 30,000 utility workers were preparing to repair outages when the storm passes.

DeSantis said landfall appeared to be headed toward Taylor County, southeast of Tallahassee and one of the most rural and economically challenged areas of the state. But he said it was too early to know exactly where the storm would hit.

“Everybody on the Gulf Coast from Tampa Bay to northwest Florida must be vigilant,” he said. “You’re going to see some nasty weather.”

At a self-serve sandbag site in Spring Hill, well within Hernando County’s mandatory evacuation zone, Jeff Manor and Judy Hodder were preparing bags to place along the doors and garage of their coastal home. They already brought in their outdoor furniture, towed their pontoon boat out of a nearby canal and tied it down on the side of their home.

“We’re staying here,” Hodder, 67, said as she wiped sweat from her forehead. “But if it starts coming at us, we’re gone.”

What is rapid intensification?How Idalia could quickly become a major hurricane before landfall

Developments:

∎ DeSantis said 5,000 National Guardsmen were activated, 580 search and rescue workers in eight teams were mobilized, 1,100 generators were prepped for deployment, and 200 ambulances were ready to sweep into the affected area when feasible. And 400,000 gallons of fuel was reserved for post-recovery.

∎ Idalia was heading north at 14 mph Tuesday and could gain power and speed as it curves to the north-northeast late Tuesday and Wednesday, reaching sustained wind speeds of up to 125 mph before landfall.

∎ The center of Idalia was forecast to move over the eastern Gulf of Mexico, carrying a storm surge of up to 15 feet closest to where it makes landfall, possibly along Florida’s Big Bend, on Wednesday morning.

∎ Idalia is forecast to remain a hurricane as it crosses into Georgia, before it moves over the Carolina coastline on Thursday, then out into the Atlantic where its future path remains uncertain.

Florida is on storm surge watch:Here’s what that means

Follow the path of Idalia as storm heads for Florida

This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm but does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time.

‘Gloom and doom… (or) everything is going to be fine’

Dozens of Hernando Beach and Weeki Wachee locals looking to fortify their homes on Tuesday took shovels to large sand mounds, packed bags full and lugged them to their cars and trucks within eyeshot of the Gulf of Mexico where several feet of storm surge is expected.

At a self-service sandbag site at Linda Pedersen Park in Spring Hill, Alan Covington, 63, and Vreli Covington, 63, hurriedly stuffed the truck bed of their Ford F-150 with sandbags. For the last seven years, they have lived in a single-story home within 100 yards of the Gulf.

“They’re for us but mostly for our neighbor, who has been in New Hampshire the last few days,” Alan Covington said, pointing to the bags. “I told him ‘We’re gonna put sandbags up for you’ … not that it’s gonna do any good.”

The couple took in all the furniture, packed their valuable papers and stored their boat at a nearby marina. Once they set up the sandbags, they are going to take refuge at a friend’s two-story, inland home.

“We’re going to push away with positivity,” Vreli Cunningham said. “We’re the two ends of the spectrum. Mister doom and gloom and me, miss ‘everything is going to be fine.'”

Idalia could thrive on warm waters of Gulf

Hurricane Idalia’s path toward Florida’s coast takes it through a steamy hot tub otherwise known as the Gulf of Mexico. That’s worrisome because hurricanes thrive on warm water. It fuels the heat and water vapor that make them stronger and capable of dumping more extreme rainfall. And unseasonably warm water temperatures have lingered in the Gulf for weeks, making it even hotter than normal.

In a worst-case scenario Tuesday, the tropical cyclone will be moving along the coast in water temperatures among the hottest on record in the Gulf as it spins toward a landfall overnight or Wednesday morning.

Evacuation urged ahead of potential wall of water

Catastrophic impacts from a storm surge of up to 15 feet above ground level topped by large, destructive waves are possible along a stretch of more than 100 miles of coastline from the Aucilla River to Yankeetown in the Big Bend region, the hurricane center said. A storm surge of three feet or more is possible, depending on the timing of high tides, to the north and the south from west of Apalachicola to Everglades City. Residents were urged to heed evacuation orders.

For context, the maximum water level measured after Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers Beach last fall was 15 feet. The hurricane center concluded in its post-Ian report that storm surge killed 41 people, more than any other single cause. The U.S. Geological Survey, university researchers and professional storm chasers were out placing specialty equipment along the coast Tuesday to measure the expected surge.The geological survey said Idalia’s surge could cause changes all along the state’s west coast, washing over sandy beaches and cutting into dunes.

Old nuclear power plant braces for Idalia

Approximately 85 miles north of Tampa along the Gulf of Mexico, the retired Crystal River Nuclear Plant sits near Idalia’s current forecasted path. Part of Duke Energy’s 5,100-acre complex that also includes active fossil fuel-powered plants in Citrus County, the old nuclear plant began decontamination and dismantling in 2020. In an email, federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesperson Neil Sheehan said there is no operating reactor that would cause concern. Officials remain in contact with plant personnel who must complete pre-storm preparation, including ensuring radioactive materials are properly secured, he said.

Hurricane preparations for the site were completed Monday, Duke Energy spokesperson Mary Kathryn Green said in an email. Radioactive materials are permanently placed in shielded containers that withstand the effects of extreme weather, she added. Used nuclear fuel also remains securely sealed in on-site storage.

Keith Richardson, a spokesperson for Duke Energy, said the company was securing anything that could become airborne, storing equipment and ensuring generators are supplied should power be lost. Afterward, staff plan to conduct walkthroughs and inspections, he said.