Idalia strengthened into a hurricane early Tuesday morning and is expected to approach Florida as a dangerous major hurricane.
As of the Tuesday 5 a.m. update, Idalia was 85 miles north of the western tip of Cuba and had winds of 75 mph. It was moving north at 14 mph.
“On the forecast track, the center of Idalia is forecast to move over the eastern Gulf of Mexico today, reach the Gulf coast of Florida within the Hurricane Warning area on Wednesday, and move close to the Carolina coastline on Thursday,” the NHC said. “Rapid intensification is likely through landfall, and Idalia is forecast to become an extremely dangerous major hurricane before landfall on Wednesday.”