JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hurricane Idalia continued to intensify Tuesday night as a Category 2 storm after reaching hurricane strength Tuesday morning.
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The National Hurricane Center warned the storm will become a major hurricane early Tuesday morning and bring catastrophic impacts from storm surge inundation along the west coast of Florida and dangerous hurricane-force winds. It is forecast to make landfall as a Category 4 storm with at least 130 mph winds.
MORE: Hurricane Idalia menaces Florida’s Big Bend, the ‘Nature Coast’ far from tourist attractions
At 11 p.m. the center of Hurricane Idalia was located about 125 miles west of Tampa and 185 miles south of Tallahassee and had shifted slightly west.
Data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicates that maximum sustained winds have increased to 110 mph with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is forecast, and Idalia is expected to become a major hurricane Tuesday night before it reaches the Big Bend coast of Florida with the potential for 130 mph winds.
Idalia is likely to still be a hurricane while moving across southern Georgia, and possibly when it reaches the coast of Georgia or southern South Carolina on Wednesday.
A Category 2 has winds between 96 mph and 110 mph that can create extensive damage. Category 3 is considered a major hurricane, with winds of 111 to 129 mph, which will cause devastating damage. Category 4 is considered a catastrophic storm that can cause widespread damage and cause an area to be uninhabitable for weeks or months, NHC said.
11PM EDT 29 Aug: #Idalia forecast to become an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane at landfall in Florida Big Bend region with catastrophic storm surge inundation. Residents should heed advice & evacuation orders by local officials in these areas.
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 30, 2023
https://t.co/y75tVkKVK7 pic.twitter.com/JqIpmLFayG
Idalia is moving toward the north near 18 mph. A northward to north-northeastward motion is expected through Tuesday night, with Idalia’s center forecast to reach the Big Bend coast of Florida on Wednesday morning. After landfall, the center of Idalia is forecast to turn toward the northeast and east, moving near or along the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina late Wednesday and Thursday.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 160 miles.
The estimated minimum central pressure from NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft data is 958 mb.
Areas of flash and urban flooding, some of which may be locally significant, are expected across portions of the west coast of Florida, the Florida Panhandle, and southern Georgia Tuesday into Wednesday, spreading into portions of the eastern Carolinas Wednesday into Thursday.
Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin on Wednesday in the warning area along the east coast of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area in South and North Carolina Wednesday night and Thursday.
The potential hazards for Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia at this time are heavy rainfall, localized flooding, elevated rip currents, elevated seas, gusty winds and the possibility of tornadoes. Locally, we will feel the brunt of the effect Wednesday.
NHC said there will be catastrophic impacts from storm surge inundation of 10-15 feet above ground level and destructive waves between Aucilla River and Yankeetown.