Idalia officially a hurricane with Florida landfall expected Wednesday

Idalia became a hurricane on Tuesday as it intensified on a path toward Florida's Gulf Coast, with the National Hurricane Center warning of an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds in Florida in the next two days.

Hurricane Idalia was about 515 kilometres south-southwest of Tampa at 8 a.m. ET on Tuesday, with maximum sustained winds of 130 km/h, the hurricane centre said. Idalia was moving north at 22 km/h.

On Tuesday, it was expected to turn northeast at a faster pace, reaching Florida's western coast as a dangerous major hurricane on Wednesday. It's projected to have sustained winds of up to 193 km/h as it approaches Florida, which would make it a Category 3 hurricane.

Florida residents loaded up on sandbags and evacuated from homes in low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast as Idalia intensified Monday and forecasters predicted it would hit in days as a major hurricane with potentially life-threatening storm surges.

"You should be wrapping up your preparation for #TropicalStormIdalia tonight and Tues morning at the latest," the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Just got to prepare for these things, hope for the best, and prepare for the worst and, you know, hunker down, as they say," said Derek Hughes as he waited to load up his car with sandbags at a city park in Tampa.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 46 counties, a broad swath that stretches across the northern half of the state from the Gulf Coast to the Atlantic Coast. The state has mobilized 1,100 National Guard members, who have 2,400 high-water vehicles and 12 aircraft at their disposal for rescue and recovery efforts.

"The property — we can rebuild someone's home," DeSantis said during a news conference Monday. "You can't unring the bell, though, if somebody stays in harm's way and does battle with Mother Nature."

DeSantis said the Florida Department of Transportation would waive tolls on highways in the Tampa area and the Big Bend starting at 4 a.m. Tuesday to help ease any burden on people in the path of the storm.

Tampa International Airport and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport said they would close on Tuesday, and the Sunrail commuter rail service in Orlando was being suspended.

Large parts of the western coast of Florida are at risk for storm surges and floods. Evacuation notices have been issued in 21 counties with mandatory orders for some people in eight of those counties. Many of the notices were for people in low-lying and coastal areas, for those living in structures such as mobile and manufactured homes, recreational vehicles and boats, and for people who would be vulnerable in a power outage.

Many school districts along the Gulf Coast said they would be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Several colleges and universities said they would close their campuses on Tuesday, including the University of Florida in Gainesville.

"They told us that our dorm building, especially, is prone to flooding," said Erin Amiss, a student at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. MacDill Air Force Base, located on Tampa Bay, is preparing to evacuate several aircraft and began a mandatory evacuation Monday morning for personnel who live in local counties, the Air Force said in a statement.

As Gulf Coast residents packed up their cars or hauled out generators in case of power outages, state officials warned about potential fuel contamination at dozens of gas stations.