Latest Hurricane Adalia: Strengthens to a Category 4 storm before making landfall in Florida
An imminent Hurricane Adalia is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast in the new few hours.
The National Hurricane Center confirmed that the hurricane reached category four, “catastrophic and life-threatening” on Wednesday, with sustained winds of 130 miles per hour.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis held a press conference on Wednesday to warn residents of the “very strong storm,” stressing that 54,000 homes were without power.
Millions of people in the storm’s path tied up their boats, boarded up windows, put their belongings in sandbags, and headed for higher ground. Mandatory evacuation orders were in place in at least 28 of Florida’s 67 counties as of Tuesday night.
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee, the state capital, called Idalia an “unprecedented event” as no major tornadoes on record passed through the bay adjacent to Big Bend.
Follow along to get the latest updates and follow the Idalia Trail below:
11:37 a.m. GMT
Ron DeSantis holds a press conference
Ron DeSantis is currently holding a press conference about the development of the situation in Florida.
Florida’s governor called the hurricane “a very powerful storm.”
He said the hurricane would descend within the next hour and a half.
The governor warned people not to be “stupid” and “hide” as the hurricane made landfall.
“It would be a big deal, and it would be very dangerous,” he added.
Lights flashed in the press room as Mr. DeSantis made his statement.
11:23 a.m. GMT
A dispatch from Hurricane Ian last September
here a send By Jimmy Johnson of The Telegraph in Fort Myers, Florida, as of September 2022.
About 20,000 Florida residents were displaced and had to stay in shelters after Hurricane Ian hit.
11:17 a.m. GMT
Millions of Floridians have fled their properties on boats
Millions of Floridians fled their properties by boat to reach higher ground as Hurricane Idalia strengthened into an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane.
While Idalia draws its strength from the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico, at least 28 of Florida’s 67 counties were under mandatory evacuation orders.
Residents on the Gulf coast were braced for strong winds, heavy rains and rising seas from the storm.
“If you’re not evacuating, you should do it immediately,” Florida Emergency Management Chief Kevin Guthrie said during a news conference late Tuesday. “You have to drop what you’re doing… pack your bags, pack your things, and get to safety.”
11:07 a.m. GMT
Hurricane Idalia Model Reader
10:56 a.m. GMT
When was the last hurricane in Florida?
Idalia is the fourth major hurricane to hit Florida in the past seven years, after Irma in 2017, Michael in 2018, and Ian, which peaked at Category 5last September.
Ian made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm with winds of 150 mph (241 km/h).
About 150 deaths were attributed to Hurricane Ian.
10:45 a.m. GMT
The population is preparing
In Sarasota – City It was hit hard by Ian last year — Milton Bontrager, 40, who runs a fishing service near Tampa, said his house was locked and stocked with food, water and a generator, and his boats were safe.
“I’m not panicking, I’m preparing,” he said on Tuesday.
“They’re expecting some deaths, so I don’t want to be one of them,” said Renee Hoffman, 62, as she prepared to leave her home in Stainhaci, Florida, located in the expected landfall.
She owns a food stand that she has strapped to her husband’s pickup truck to keep it from washing out or getting soggy.
10:45 a.m. GMT
Hurricane path
The National Hurricane Center said the center of Idealia will likely cross Florida’s shoreline somewhere in Big Bend, where the state’s northern Gulf coast curves into the western side of the Florida Peninsula, and is roughly bordered by the inland cities of Gainesville and Tallahassee.
Sparsely populated compared to Tampa-St. To the south lies the Big Bend area of St. Petersburg, and features a swampy coastline dotted with freshwater springs and rivers, and a group of small offshore islands that make up Cedar Key, a historic fishing village destroyed in 1896 by a hurricane storm.
Hurricane Idalia transformed from a tropical storm into a hurricane early Tuesday, a day after it passed western Cuba, damaging homes, knocking out power, inundating villages and prompting mass evacuations.
10:42 a.m. GMT
Pictured: Idalia in Cuba
10:39 a.m. GMT
Biden is in “constant communication” with DeSantis
And at the White House on Tuesday, President Joe Biden said he and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Biden in the 2024 presidential election, have been “in constant contact” about preparations for the storm.
Biden is scheduled to speak about the government’s efforts to respond to the hurricanes later on Wednesday.
More than 40 Florida school districts have canceled classes, DeSantis said, and Tampa International Airport suspended commercial operations on Tuesday.
About 5,500 National Guard personnel were mobilized, while 30,000 to 40,000 electricians were on standby. The governor said the state has set aside 1.1 million gallons of gasoline to address any disruption to the fuel supply.
10:36 a.m. GMT
Live tracking
Track the hurricane’s path before it makes landfall in Florida.
10:32 a.m. GMT
What is a category 4 hurricane?
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale ranks hurricanes based on a hurricane’s maximum sustained wind speed and estimates potential property damage.
A Category 4 hurricane has sustained winds of 130-156 mph and is expected to cause “catastrophic damage.”
The scale predicts that power outages caused by the hurricane “will last from weeks to possibly months” and that “most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.”
10:21 a.m. GMT
Urgent: Hurricane reaches category four
Idalia has become an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Forecasters predicted the system would intensify, and have now said the hurricane’s maximum sustained winds are 130 miles per hour.
10:14 a.m. GMT
Idalia reached Category 3 on Tuesday
Early Wednesday, Hurricane Idalia reached Category 3 strength, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph as it moved inshore 100 miles southwest of Cedar Key, Florida.
Any storm that reaches Category 3 or higher is considered a major hurricane.
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale classifies a Category 3 hurricane as one with “destructive damage”:
“Well-built frame homes could sustain significant damage or remove roof surfaces and gable ends. Many trees would be snapped or uprooted, blocking many roads.
“Electricity and water will not be available for several days to weeks after the storm has passed.”
10:11 a.m. GMT
Satellite imagery shows that the hurricane is moving towards Florida
Hurricane Adalia was seen making its way to Florida’s west coast in satellite imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday.
To the right of Idalia, Hurricane Franklin approaches Bermuda.
10:08 a.m. GMT
“Leave what you’re doing…and get to safety”
Floridians living in vulnerable coastal areas have been ordered to pack up and leave their homes.
“If you are not evacuated, you must do so immediately,” Florida Emergency Management Chief Kevin Guthrie said during an evening news conference. “You have to let go of what you are doing. You have to go to your room, pack your things, pack your things, and get to safety.
Mandatory evacuation orders had been issued in at least 28 of the state’s 67 counties as of Tuesday.
10:05 a.m. GMT
When will Hurricane Adalia land in Florida?
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Hurricane Adalia is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday morning, possibly in the Big Bend area.
The Hurricane Center warned that Florida’s Gulf Coast, southeastern Georgia, and eastern parts of North and South Carolina could experience 4 to 8 inches of rain through Thursday, while isolated areas could see up to a foot of rain.
09:55 a.m. GMT
Welcome to our live coverage
Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of Hurricane Adalia, which is expected to make landfall in Florida today with winds of up to 130 miles per hour.
