Tropical Storm Idalia, brewing off the east coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, is expected to become a hurricane on Tuesday and threaten the US soon after. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 40mph on Sunday when it was 95 miles from Cozumel, Mexico, and moving northeast at 3mph, per ABC News.
It’s expected to pick up speed and strength on Monday into Tuesday while moving northward into the eastern Gulf of Mexico, meteorologists say. It’s predicted to make landfall Wednesday morning in northern Florida as a category 2 hurricane, with winds of at least 96mph.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 33 counties along the Gulf Coast, or nearly half of the state, per ABC. Some areas could see 4 to 6 inches of rain, meaning a risk of flash floods. The storm will then move into Georgia and the Carolinas later in the week.
R&I ~ MJM
PragDem
Article URL : https://www.newser.com/story/339413/nearly-half-of-florida-under-state-of-emergency.html