Idalia Strengthens To Hurricane, With 120 MPH Winds Expected: Latest Projected Path, Timing

Idalia formed late Saturday afternoon, Aug. 26 as a tropical depression before being upgraded on Sunday, Aug. 27 to a tropical storm and to a Category 1 hurricane in the early hours of Tuesday morning, Aug. 29.

It's expected to make landfall along North Florida's Big Bend region (where the panhandle transitions to the peninsula) on Wednesday morning, Aug. 30 as a Category 3 hurricane with winds predicted to be around 120 miles per hour.

Heavy rain and life-threatening storm surges of up to 8 to 12 feet are also expected, according to the National Hurricane Center.

After barreling through Florida, Idalia is then predicted to move close to the Carolina coastline on Thursday, Aug. 31.

States of emergency have been issued in dozens of counties along the west coast of Florida and the Florida Panhandle, where widespread power outages are expected.

As of around 7 a.m. Tuesday, Idalia was about 80 miles south of western Cuba, moving north at about 14 miles per hour, with winds of around 75 mph.

• Earlier report - Tropical Storm Idalia Expected To Become Major Hurricane: Latest Projected Path, Timing

For Idalia's current projected path and timing, see the image above or click here for the National Hurricane Center's latest update on Idalia.

• Original report - Tropical System Expected To Become Hurricane Heads Toward East Coast: Here's Projected Path

Idalia is the ninth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. View the 2023 list of Atlantic storm names here.

This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.

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