Just shy of a year since Hurricane Ian battered Florida’s Gulf Coast, killing at least 150 people and leaving billions of dollars in wreckage, Tampa Bay residents and northern neighbors are bracing for another momentous threat.
As of 11 p.m. Monday, the National Hurricane Center warned that Tropical Storm Idalia is likely to become a major hurricane — a Category 3 storm bearing winds of at least 111 mph, as well as “life-threatening storm surge,” experts said.
The storm, which was lingering near Cuba late Monday, is expected to make landfall early Wednesday morning along Florida’s west coast.
A record-hot Gulf of Mexico combined with high tides due to a super moon make the region particularly vulnerable. While high wind speeds pose danger, powerful storm surge could bring walls of water onshore, wiping out coastal property and threatening residents who live in evacuation zones. More people died of drowning during Hurricane Ian than of any other cause.
