A menacing Tropical Depression 10 was nearing tropical storm intensity Sunday as it churned toward Florida amid warnings it could slam ashore as Hurricane Idalia later in the week.
Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 33 Florida counties ahead of the storm. Emergency management officials were “taking timely precautions to ensure Florida’s communities, infrastructure and resources are prepared, including those communities that are still recovering following Hurricane Ian,” DeSantis said. Ian crashed through the state last September, killing 150 people in Florida alone and causing damage estimated at more than $100 billion.
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Eddie Walker said several inches of rain could trigger inland flooding in low-lying areas beginning as early as Tuesday in central and northern Florida. Wind gusts of up to 60 mph are likely in much of northern and central Florida with gusts of up to 80 mph along the Florida Gulf Coast, Walker said.
“These conditions could shift westward or southward and could be worse, depending on the intensity and track of the tropical system from Tuesday to Wednesday,” Walker warned.
The storm could prompt travel problems, and “significant airline delays” are possible for flights in and out of the region Tuesday to Wednesday, AccuWeather said.
Developments:
∎ The storm was centered about 70 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, early Sunday, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and sliding southeast at about 5 mph.
∎ A faster motion toward the north or north-northeast is expected later on Monday, bringing the system over the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Florida bracing for up to 10 inches of rain
Portions of the eastern Yucatan Peninsula could see 2 to 4 inches, and isolated higher totals of 6 inches are possible, the weather service said. Western Cuba could see 3 to 6 inches, with isolated higher totals of 10 inches.
As the storm rolls into Florida, portions of the state’s Gulf Coast, the Florida Panhandle and southern Georgia could see 3 to 6 inches, and some areas could be blasted by up to 10 inches of rain Tuesday into Wednesday. Heavy rainfall is also likely to spread into portions of the Carolinas by Wednesday into Thursday, the weather service said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis declares state of emergency
DeSantis said authorities were moving resources into areas likely to be slammed by the storm, and he urged residents to ensure “their hurricane supply kit is stocked.” The declaration includes almost half the state’s 67 counties, stretching from Fort Myers north through Panama City in the Panhandle. Municipalities across the region were providing sandbags in preparation for the storm.
