Florida and Cuba are bracing themselves for an imminent and high-risk hurricane, Tropical Storm Idalia, which is projected to escalate into a Category 3 hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Idalia is going to become a strong hurricane before it reaches Big Bend, Florida, on Wednesday.
Another big storm named Franklin might cause dangerous flooding on the East Coast of the United States and in Bermuda.
As the time when hurricanes are most active in the Atlantic Ocean approaches.
Franklin is the first powerful storm of the season, which happens between June and November. Right now, the storm is a Category 4, with very strong winds of 145mph (230km/h). However, according to the NHC, it will become less powerful by Tuesday afternoon.
In an announcement on Monday afternoon, the agency stated that Franklin was already creating very dangerous waves and strong currents along the south-eastern coast of the US.
Right now, Florida is mainly concerned about Idalia. Governor Ron DeSantis has alerted the state to be ready for significant problems caused by this storm.
“This hurricane is going to be very strong,” he said at a meeting with reporters on Monday.
“This will definitely affect Florida in numerous ways. ”
President Joe Biden gave permission for an emergency declaration to help the state prepare for the upcoming storm.
At 8:00 PM EDT on Monday (01:00 AM GMT on Tuesday), the NHC reported that Idalia is moving in a northerly direction at a speed of 8 miles per hour. It also mentioned that the maximum sustained winds of Idalia are 70 miles per hour.
A storm becomes a hurricane when its winds reach a speed of 74mph or higher.
According to the NHC, a storm named Idalia might cause dangerous waves and strong winds in certain areas of the west coast of Florida and the Florida Panhandle starting from Tuesday. Additionally, there may be sudden floods in some urban areas.
The storm will bring heavy rain and cause flooding in western Cuba. There is a warning for a hurricane coming to Pinar del Río in Cuba.
On Monday evening, Idalia was about 20 miles (or 30 kilometers) to the west of Cuba. It made lots of Cubans leave their homes in towns on the west side of the island.
People have made their homes safe and secured their fishing boats due to strong winds and warnings of storm surge. On Monday afternoon, the small fishing village of Guanimar, which is located south of Havana, was filled with dirty brown water from a flood.
The little fishing village of Guanimar is covered in water from a flood.
“We have already had rain for two days,” said Yadira Alvarez, a 34-year-old woman who is getting ready to evacuate with her five children, told Reuters news agency. We attempt to get ready, but regardless of our efforts, everything will end up wet.
Some towns in north-western Florida are expected to have very high waves, called storm surges, that could reach up to 11 feet or 3. 3 meters
“The NHC stated that the strongest water will be found closest to the shore in places where winds blow from the sea. This water will come with big and hazardous waves. ”
Tampa International Airport will shut down starting at midnight on Monday to get ready for the storm.
The governor of Florida has said that there is a big problem in 46 counties in the northern part of the state, so he is declaring a state of emergency.
Mr DeSantis stated that a few counties on the Gulf Coast will have to leave their homes due to Idalia, and schools will be shut down as well.
He told people living near the coast in Florida to go to higher places.
“He said that people from Florida should start carrying out their plans immediately. ”
The governor said that over 1,100 National Guardsmen have been called to duty along with 2,400 vehicles specifically designed to drive through high water and other equipment used for rescuing people.
Officials have gotten ready 400,000 gallons of fuel to be delivered to gas stations along the routes people use to evacuate, according to Mr.
Government officials also said that a lot of people in the area will not have electricity due to the storm.
Forecasters said that the states of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina may experience a lot of rain.
Tropical storm Idalia arrived less than a year after Hurricane Ian hit Florida’s west coast and caused the deaths of more than 100 people.
We are not completely sure how climate change affects how often tropical storms happen, but we know that warmer ocean temperatures heat up the air above and provide more energy for hurricanes to form and intensify. Because of this, they are likely to become stronger and have heavier rain.