Tropical Storm Idalia, an active cyclone, has now strengthened into a hurricane off the coast of Cuba as it continues to chart a path towards Florida in the United States, where hundreds of residents have been ordered to evacuate their homes.
The US National Hurricane Center announced that Idalia is now a hurricane and is expected to rapidly intensify into an extremely dangerous major hurricane before making landfall on Wednesday.
The tropical storm was forecast to become a dangerous “major hurricane” over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico by early Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said.
Consequently, the Tampa International Airport in Florida has suspended all commercial operations on Tuesday.
US President, Joe Biden, approved an emergency declaration for the state, promising it would have his full support, a White House spokesperson confirmed to Aljazeera.
Also, Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, has declared a widespread state of emergency over the Storm Indalia.