A state of emergency has been announced for 33 counties in Florida due to the anticipated transformation of tropical storm Idalia into a hurricane before its arrival on the state’s Gulf Coast. This is likely to occur as early as late Tuesday.
As part of the emergency declaration, specific regulations for commercial motor vehicles engaged in direct emergency aid are temporarily lifted. This emergency directive will remain in effect until September 25 or until it is revoked.
According to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center, the storm has the potential to bring life-threatening storm surges and perilous hurricane-force winds to parts of Florida’s west coast and the Florida Panhandle.
A hurricane watch has been put into effect for the Gulf Coast of Florida, spanning from Mexico Beach in the Panhandle to Fort Meyers, which is around 100 miles to the south of Tampa. The forecast from the hurricane center predicts that Idalia could achieve wind speeds of up to 115 mph, with gusts reaching 145 mph by Wednesday afternoon.
The projected path of Idalia includes crossing Florida via Tampa and subsequently following the coastline through Georgia on Tuesday and Wednesday. The storm is expected to progress through the Carolinas on Wednesday and Thursday.
