Tropical Storm Idalia turns into hurricane and heads to Florida

The strength of Tropical Storm Idalia intensified on Tuesday and transformed into a hurricane, with weather experts predicting it to intensify further to become "extremely dangerous" before making landfall in the US state of Florida.

The National Hurricane Center issued a general warning at 0900 UTC, stating, "Idalia has now become a hurricane. It is expected to quickly intensify into a very dangerous hurricane before making landfall on Wednesday."

Major hurricanes are typically Category 3 or higher on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale, characterized by the National Hurricane Center as storms that can cause "devastating" and "catastrophic" damage.

At the time of the warning, Idalia was about 370 miles (600 kilometers) southwest of Tampa, Florida, accompanied by winds reaching a maximum speed of 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour).

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned that the storm could have significant implications across the Gulf of Mexico. He stated in a press conference that residents should be prepared for evacuation measures.

President Joe Biden spoke with DeSantis earlier on Monday and approved the declaration of a state of emergency in the state, pledging full support, according to a White House spokesperson.

The Hurricane Center issued multiple warnings for the states of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina as the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico intensified the storm's strength.

The National Hurricane Center's latest warnings noted, "There is a danger of life-threatening inundation along portions of the Florida Gulf Coast, including the Tampa Bay area and Big Bend region of Florida."

The center also predicted conditions associated with a hurricane and tropical storm in parts of western Cuba until Tuesday morning.

Flooding is expected to impact other areas of Florida, including the narrow strip area and southern Georgia until Wednesday, according to the center. Flooding might reach parts of South Carolina by Thursday.

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) confirmed its preparations to respond to the storm's impacts, including deploying several of its personnel, according to the White House.

Cuban authorities issued warnings for the provinces of Pinar del Río and Artemisa, as well as the Isle of Youth.

Thousands of Cubans were evacuated or fled before the storm's arrival, as announced by authorities and state media.

After passing through Cuba, the storm will move over the Gulf, which scientists say is experiencing a "warm water blob," exacerbating Idalia's wind strength as it heads towards Florida.

The US Hurricane Center stated that the storm "will pass over waters with temperatures around 31 degrees Celsius."



AFP