NEWS
Hurricane Idalia ‘Rapidly Intensifying’ As It Approaches Florida’s Gulf Coast
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Hurricane Idalia is strengthening as it barrels toward the western coast of Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The agency warned that life-threatening storm surge and dangerous winds are becoming “increasingly likely” for portions of northwestern Florida.
As of 6 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Idalia was about 135 miles west-southwest of the Dry Tortugas National Park, a small group of islands about 70 miles west of Key West, where a tropical storm warning is in effect. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph with higher gusts.
A storm surge warning and hurricane warning were in effect from Englewood in South Florida north to Indian Pass, in the panhandle southwest of Tallahassee.
The National Hurricane Center said Idalia is likely rapidly intensify to a dangerous major hurricane over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico before making landfall in Florida Wednesday. The current forecast track has the center of Idalia reaching the Gulf Coast on Wednesday, with hurricane conditions arriving late Tuesday.
Rain totals of up to 12 inches are possible Tuesday through Thursday near landfall in northern Florida, with 4–8 inches likely across parts of Florida, southeastern Georgia and the eastern Carolinas, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee warned that life-threatening storm surge will be a concern around Apalachee Bay, where the peninsula meets the Panhandle, from late Tuesday through Wednesday. The agency’s “reasonable worst-case scenario” forecast warned of a peak storm surge of up to 11 feet in the area, with a ten percent chance it could go even higher. The National Hurricane Center warned of a possible storm surge of 8–12 feet.
With a rise in extreme weather and flooding events, experts are warning people to take a second look at the homeowners’ or renters’ insurance policies.
“Consumers need to remember that some homeowners insurance policies have a separate hurricane deductible and they should really read the fine print of their policies now,” said Ted Jenkin, founder and CEO of Atlanta-based oXYGen Financial.
“Every time we have a hurricane, fire, or flood, more and more insurance companies are asking themselves if it makes financial sense to insure that part of the country anymore,” Jenkin said. “Given the amount of extreme weather situations we’ve encountered recently, every homeowner should have some type of online safety deposit box where they can access important financial records or documents from anywhere.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday declared a state of emergency across 33 counties ahead of the storm. Evacuations were underway Monday in multiple zones.
TMX contributed to this article.
