Authorities are warning of a “catastrophic storm surge and destructive winds” when Hurricane Idalia hits Florida. Residents in vulnerable coastal areas had been ordered to pack up and leave as the storm gained steam in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday. Idalia was packing sustained winds of 110 mph (177 kph) early Wednesday, after growing into a Category 2 system on Tuesday afternoon. The hurricane was projected to come ashore later Wednesday morning as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of at least 130 mph in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. The result could be a big blow to a state still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian.
