Its path is expected to impact a wide central portion of the state
The storm will make landfall in Florida's Big Bend area
Governor DeSantis announced that tolls would be waived beginning at 4:00AM on Tuesday
Idalia strengthened into a hurricane early Tuesday and is forecast to intensify quickly into an extremely dangerous major hurricane before making landfall over Florida's Gulf Coast Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center says.
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Its path is expected to impact a wide central portion of the state, including cities such as Tampa and Orlando. It's likely to move close to the Carolina coastline on Thursday, after crossing Florida, forecasters said.
Idalia was over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday.
As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, Idalia was approximately 325 miles south-southwest of Tampa. The storm was still moving north at 14 mph, with maximum sustained winds accelerating to at least 80 miles per hour, up from 75 mph earlier in the morning.
A storm must have maximum sustained winds of at least 74 mph for it to be classified as a hurricane.
Around half of the Idalia models published by the National Hurricane Center project that the storm will make landfall in Florida's Big Bend area, a geographic region that describes the area where the panhandle meets the peninsula and includes Tampa Bay, CBS News senior weather and climate producer David Parkinson said, noting that current estimates suggest the storm could arrive on Wednesday between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET.
Governor DeSantis returned to the State Emergency Operations Center with Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) Executive Director Kevin Guthrie and Major General John Haas to provide updates on Tropical Storm Idalia following visits to Pinellas and Levy counties to ensure communities are receiving the resources they need ahead of potential impacts.
The Governor also announced that tolls would be waived beginning at 4:00AM on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, along Florida’s west coast in preparation for Tropical Storm Idalia.
By suspending tolls in the impacted area, Floridians and visitors will be better able to quickly and safely evacuate when directed by local officials.
Upon Governor DeSantis’ request, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has granted a pre-landfall emergency declaration for Tropical Storm Idalia. Additionally, the State Emergency Operations Center has activated to Level One in anticipation of potential impacts from the storm.
Tampa International Airport will be closed from Tuesday, August 29, ahead of the arrival of storm Idalia.
All commercial operations will be suspended beginning at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, with the airport remaining closed until it can assess any damages later in the week.
The closure will allow the airport and its partners to prepare the airfield and terminals, including securing jet bridges, ground equipment, and any remaining aircraft before Idalia’s expected landfall early Wednesday as a potential major hurricane.
"The Airport will reopen after damage assessments are made, which begins as soon as it is safe to do so. TPA closely coordinates the reopening of the Airport with its partners based on roadway safety, facility readiness, and staffing," the airport said.
"Staffing with critical partners such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration and the airlines is mission critical to reopening,
"Even though the immediate area around the airport may be traversable, areas where employees live may not, delaying their ability to safely get to work and assist in restarting operations." ■