Florida braces for Cat 3 Hurricane as Tropical Strom Idalia gathers speed

Tropical Storm Idalia, which is moving swiftly over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, could slam the west coast of Florida as a Cat 3 Hurricane as early as Wednesday morning.

Aug 28, 2023 - 18:30

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Florida braces for Cat 3 Hurricane as Tropical Strom Idalia gathers speed

The National Hurricane Center said Monday that Tropical Storm Idalia is gathering speed as its barrels towards Cuba and the west of Florida coast, prompting Governor Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency in 33 counties along the Gulf coast.

The NHC said Idalia is carrying maximum sustained windspeeds of 65 miles per hour at present, but expects that to accelerate over the coming hours and upgrade the storm to a 'dangerous major hurricane' over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico by early Wednesday morning. By that time, the NHC said, Idalia could develop into a Category 3 hurricane with windspeeds of 115 miles per hour and 11 feet of storm surge.

"The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline," the NHC said. "The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide."

Governor DeSantis, who won praise from many Floridians for his handling of Hurricane Ian in September of last year, signed an Executive Order Saturday "out of an abundance of caution" that allows the Florida Division of Emergency Management to begin early preparations.

“I encourage Floridians to have a plan in place and ensure that their hurricane supply kit is stocked," DeStantis said.

The NHC currently expects the storm to make landfall near Tampa, near the middle of Florida's Gulf coast, but late changes to its tracking model could see Idalia move northeast towards key oil drilling installations near New Orleans, causing mandatory evacuations and production delays.

WTI crude futures contracts for October delivery, which are tightly-linked to U.S. gasoline prices, were marked 29 cents higher in overnight trading and changing hands at $80.12 per barrel.