2023-08-28 11:08:21
Image of Hurricane Idalia in the Yucatan Peninsula. (Photo: Conagua)
Tropical Storm Idalia was near the coast of Cuba on Monday and might make landfall as a hurricane in the southern United States, the National Hurricane Center said.
As of 4 a.m. CDT Monday, the storm was regarding 125 miles (200 kilometers) from the western tip of Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h). The storm was stationary at the time, the hurricane center said.
The center’s update also included a hurricane warning for the Cuban province of Pinar del Río.
Forecasters said they expected Idalia to become a hurricane Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico and then turn northeast toward the west coast of Florida.
Idalia might approach Florida on Wednesday with winds of up to 100 mph (160 kph), according to the latest forecasts from the Hurricane Center. That would make it a Category 2 hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) of the United States forecasts that Idalia may affect the coasts of Florida. (Florida, USA). EFE/Giorgio Viera
Along a vast swath of Florida’s west coast, up to 11 feet (3.4 meters) of ocean water might wash ashore, raising fears of destructive flooding.
In a briefing Sunday followingnoon, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis noted that much uncertainty remains in the forecast.
“This thing hasn’t even reached Cuba yet, and the water in the Gulf is very, very warm, so it will provide some fuel to get this thing up more speed,” DeSantis said.
In the Windy image you can follow Hurricane Franklin in the Atlantic and Storm Idalia approaching Cuba:
Much of Florida’s west coast is at risk of seawater reaching land and inundating communities as a tropical storm or hurricane approaches. That part of Florida is very vulnerable to storm surge, Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, said Sunday.
“Therefore, it will not take a strong system or a direct hit to produce a significant storm surge,” he said. “So if you’re somewhere along the Florida Peninsula, in the western Florida Peninsula, let’s say from Fort Myers north to the Panhandle, you really have to be paying attention.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
In Cedar Key, a fishing town jutting out into the Gulf of Mexico, storm surge is one of the biggest concerns, said Capt. AJ Brown, a fishing guide who operates AJ Brown Charters. The concern is that if the storm hits Florida just to the north, Cedar Key would suffer from the powerful surf that comes from being on the southeast side of the storm.
There are concerns in Cedar Key regarding a storm surge of two to five feet of ocean water, Brown said, and if the storm surge reaches five feet “it would cover almost all of downtown.”
At the popular Bridge Tender Inn in Bradenton Beach, a large tent covering the tiki bar area where musicians perform may have to be taken down in preparation for Idalia, assistant manager Shannon Dunnan said Sunday.
“If we got hit by a big storm, it would probably rip that tent in half,” he said.
But right now, the plans are for the store to stay open, Dunnan said.
Florida has mobilized 1,100 members of the National Guard, and “they have at their disposal 2,400 offshore vehicles, as well as 12 aircraft that can be used for rescue and recovery efforts,” the Governor confirmed. REUTERS/Marco Bello
Mexico’s National Meteorological Service warned Sunday of heavy to torrential rains to fall on the Yucatan Peninsula, with winds up to 55 mph (89 kph).
He said the storm might cause anything from powerful waves to flooding in southern Mexico, mainly around coastal cities in the states of Yucatan and Quintana Roo. He asked the citizens to stay alert.
Florida emergency officials urged residents Sunday to keep the gas tanks in their vehicles at least half full in case they need to evacuate.
“This will ensure that you can evacuate tens of miles inland to safety should the need arise,” the Florida Division of Emergency Management said on social media.
Florida has mobilized 1,100 National Guard members, and “they have at their disposal 2,400 offshore vehicles as well as 12 aircraft that can be used for rescue and recovery efforts,” said DeSantis, the Republican governor who is one of the candidates. presidential of the Republican Party.
Idalia might become a Category 2 hurricane.
“If you are in the path of this storm, you should expect power outages,” he added. “So please be prepared for that, especially if this storm ends up reaching the Tallahassee region, there will be a lot of trees that will be downed, power lines will be downed; that’s just going to happen, so just be ready for it and be able to do what you have to do.”
Thirty-three Florida counties are under a state of emergency, the state emergency management agency said.
So far this year, the US East Coast has been spared from cyclones. But out west, Tropical Storm Hilary triggered widespread flooding, mudslides and road closures earlier this month in Mexico, California, Nevada and points north.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently said the 2023 hurricane season would be much more active than initially anticipated, in part due to extremely warm ocean temperatures. The season lasts until November 30, with August and September usually being the peaks.
Franklin became the first major hurricane of the 2023 Atlantic season on Monday and would likely create storm surge that would require watching for Bermuda, the National Hurricane Center said in a New York Times story.
A satellite image provided Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, by the U.S. Office of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Management shows Tropical Storm Franklin just south of the island of Hispaniola. (NOAA via AP)
The storm’s maximum sustained winds increased to nearly 115 miles per hour (185 km per hour), with stronger gusts, the center said, making Franklin a Category 3 hurricane.
The outlet commented that the storm is expected to create large waves but it is not expected, due to its estimated trajectory, to make landfall.
(with information from AP)
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