Tropical Storm Idalia quickly gains strength, could strike Florida as Category 3 hurricane
Tropical Storm Idalia gathered significant strength Monday in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, as forecasters warned it could strike Florida as a Category 3 hurricane as early as Tuesday night.
Meteorologists predicted the storm would move north from western Cuba before curving to the east and striking Florida’s Gulf Coast.
“Idalia is forecast to become a hurricane this evening or tonight and become a major hurricane by late Tuesday or Tuesday night,” the National Hurricane Center said in a Monday afternoon advisory.
Tampa International Airport planned to close at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday in preparation for the storm. The Tampa Bay area is the largest metropolis in the storm’s predicted path.
“All air traffic will cease by 7 a.m. Tuesday morning,” the airport said in an alert. “The airport, including the main terminal and airsides, will be closed to all visitors and is not equipped to function as a shelter.”
Idalia formed Sunday south of Cancun and western Cuba in the Caribbean Sea. It was initially moving very slowly as it gathered strength, traveling north at only 8 mph by Monday afternoon. Its maximum sustained winds were 70 mph, just below Category 1 status.
But the cyclone was expected to strengthen quickly and pick up speed in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 46 of Florida’s 67 counties, including every county along the Gulf Coast.
“We’ve got to stop focusing on the cone and look at all the areas that could be affected,” DeSantis said Monday in Tallahassee. He noted that last year, forecasts for Hurricane Ian constantly shifted before the storm made landfall near Fort Myers.
The biggest threat from Idalia was the potential for storm surges, according to forecasters. A massive 8- to 12-foot surge was predicted for a large portion of the northwest Florida coast, while the Tampa area was expected to see 4 to 7 feet of surge, which would be a record for the city.
“It will not take a strong system or a direct hit to produce significant storm surge,” said Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center.
As Floridians were warned they may need to evacuate, they encountered another problem: contaminated fuel at several gas stations along the Gulf Coast. Across Tampa, Fort Myers and Sarasota, 29 gas stations supplied by Citgo saw their unleaded fuel contaminated with diesel.
The contamination was blamed on “human error,” but anyone who bought gas at the stations over the weekend was advised their car may break down from the incorrectly mixed fuel.
“If [consumers] filled up at any one of these stations, they probably don’t want to drive their car — because you’re going to have people potentially just stuck on the side of the road,” DeSantis warned Sunday.
Several counties had issued evacuation orders by Monday afternoon, many covering particularly vulnerable coastal areas.
“You have time today and know what you need to do,” DeSantis told residents.
With News Wire Services
