Hurricane Idalia: Evacuations ordered as storm expected to make landfall as Category 4

Florida residents living in vulnerable coastal areas were ordered to pack up and leave Tuesday as Hurricane Idalia gained steam in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and threatened to unleash life-threatening storm surges and rainfall. As of 11 p.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center said Idalia is expected to make landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane, Nexstar’s WFLA reports. Idalia pummeled Cuba with heavy rains on Monday and Tuesday, leaving the tobacco-growing province of Pinar del Rio underwater and many of its residents without power. https://ift.tt/SWJ9ATB