Satellite image of Tropical Storm Idalia forming in the Caribbean Sea off Yucatan, Mexico before moving to Florida, United States, on August 27, 2023. – / AFP
Tropical Storm Idalia, which formed in Caribbean waters near southeastern Mexico on Sunday, August 27, is expected to advance toward Florida, where it is expected to hit as a hurricane Wednesday morning, according to National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasts.
As of Sunday, 8 p.m. local time (Monday, 2 a.m. Paris time), Idalia was 165 kilometers east of the Mexican island of Cozumel, with sustained winds of up to 75 km/h, the NHC said.
According to a map of the center projecting Idalia’s trajectory published on its website, Idalia should not be approaching Mexican territory, but is expected to become one as it ascends from the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida, where it is located Hurricane is expected to develop in the northwest of the state on Wednesday morning.
The NHC has issued a hurricane warning for much of West Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared states of emergency in 33 counties.
Heavy rains in Mexico
In Mexico’s state of Quintana Roo, home to Cancun and other Mayan Coast resort towns, Idalia brought rain and cloud cover that thwarted tourist plans for this final weekend of summer vacation. Rain, winds and strong waves are expected in that state, as well as in neighboring Yucatán and Campeche, Mexico’s National Meteorological Service has warned.
Last weekend, Hurricane Hilary, which measured a category 4 out of 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale (between 210 and 250 km/h) hit the Mexican state of Baja California (northwest) on the Pacific coast and claimed one life Destruction of infrastructure, before entering American territory.
Hurricanes hit Mexico on its Pacific and Atlantic coasts each year, usually between May and November. In the United States, Florida was hit last year by Category 5 Hurricane Ian, killing nearly 150 people and causing extensive damage as it made its way across the southwest of that state.