Tropical Storm Idalia is forecast to become a major hurricane before it reaches Florida’s Gulf Coast Wednesday, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
Idalia is expected to bring flash flooding to areas across the west coast of Florida, the Florida Panhandle and southern Georgia Tuesday into Wednesday, the hurricane center said.
As of Monday morning, Idalia had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, according to the hurricane center. A tropical cyclone that has maximum sustained surface winds of 74 mph or greater is a hurricane.
A major hurricane is a Category 3, 4 or 5 storm or higher. A storm becomes a Category 3 hurricane when maximum wind speeds reach at least 111 mph.
Contaminated gas:Florida Gulf Coast drivers warned of contaminated gas as Tropical Storm Idalia bears down
Here’s a live tracker of Idalia’s expected path:
