LATEST TRACK, COMPUTER MODELS: Hurricane Idalia forecast to hit Florida as a major storm

ORLANDO, Fla. – Idalia, a massive storm that could produce historic storm surge, was expected to strike the Big Bend as a Category 4 hurricane Wednesday morning.

As of 5 a.m. Wednesday, Idalia was a Category 4 hurricane located about 60 miles west of Cedar Key, moving north-northeast at 18 mph while packing 130 mph winds.

Idalia became a Category 3 once again, with wind speeds up to 125 mph, at 7 a.m. while still just off the Gulf Coast.

The NHC said Idalia made landfall along the coast of the Florida Big Bend near Keaton Beach around 7:45 a.m.

As of 9 a.m., Idalia was further downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane with wind speeds up to 110 mph — located about 20 miles south-southwest of Madison, Florida — moving north-northeast at 18 mph. Hurricane-force winds extended outward 25 miles from the center, while tropical storm-force winds extend up to 175 miles from the center of the storm.

[TRACK THE TROPICS: Computer models, official cone, satellite imagery in media player at the top of this story]

The National Weather Service issued several weather warnings early Wednesday in Central Florida, including tornado warnings for Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Sumter counties.

Here are the Central Florida counties under current watches and warnings.

Idalia is bringing gusty winds, heavy rain and the possibility of tornadoes to Central Florida as it approaches a landfall in the Big Bend area of the state.

Idalia will then head northeast and east-northeast, moving along the coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas on Wednesday and Thursday.

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High temperatures Wednesday in the Orlando area will be in the 80s, with a 90% coverage of rain.

Idalia will be well away from Florida by Thursday.

Hurricane season runs through November.

[NEWS 6 COVERAGE OF IDALIA IN MEDIA PLAYER BELOW OR TAP HERE TO WATCH]

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.

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.

As the state prepared, Idalia thrashed Cuba with heavy rain, especially in the westernmost part of the island, where the tobacco-producing province of Pinar del Rio is still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian almost a year ago.

Idalia was expected to start affecting Florida with hurricane-force winds as soon as late Tuesday and arrive on the coast by Wednesday. It is the first storm to hit Florida this hurricane season and a potentially big blow to the state, which is also dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian.

On the island of Cedar Key, Commissioner Sue Colson joined other city officials in packing up documents and electronics at City Hall. She had a message for the almost 900 residents who were under mandatory orders to evacuate. More than a dozen state troopers went door to door warning residents that storm surge could rise as high as 15 feet (4.5 meters).

“One word: Leave,” Colson said. “It’s not something to discuss.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis repeated the warning at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.

“You really gotta go now. Now is the time,” he said. Earlier, the governor stressed that residents didn’t necessarily need to leave the state, but should “get to higher ground in a safe structure.”

“You can ride the storm out there, then go back to your home,” he said.

Idalia is also the latest in a summer of natural disasters, including wildfires in Hawaii, Canada and Greece; the first tropical storm to hit California in 84 years, and devastating flooding in Vermont.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 49 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 5,500 National Guard members, who have 2,400 high-water vehicles and 12 aircraft at their disposal for rescue and recovery efforts.

The Sunrail commuter rail service in Orlando was being suspended. Orlando International Airport, however, plans to stay open.

Tallahassee International Airport closed Saturday at 11 p.m.

The Florida Department of Transportation waived tolls on highways in the Tampa area and the Big Bend starting Tuesday to help ease any burden on people in the path of the storm.

Large parts of the western coast of Florida are at risk for storm surges and floods. Evacuation notices have been issued in 28 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.

Pasco and Levy counties, located north of Tampa, both ordered mandatory evacuations for some residents. In Levy County, officials said residents of Cedar Key must be off the island by Tuesday evening because storm surges would make bridges impassable.

“Once the storm surge comes in, help may not be available to reach you,” the county said in a public advisory.

Not everyone was heeding the warning. Andy Bair, owner of the Island Hotel, said he intended to “babysit” his bed-and-breakfast, which predates the Civil War. The building has not flooded in the almost 20 years he has owned it, not even when Hurricane Hermine flooded the city in 2016.

“Being a caretaker of the oldest building in Cedar Key, I just feel kind of like I need to be here,” Bair said. “We’ve proven time and again that we’re not going to wash away. We may be a little uncomfortable for a couple of days, but we’ll be OK eventually.”

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. Florida State University is closed through Friday, Sept. 1 in Tallahassee. FAMU has also suspended classes through Friday.

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.

President Joe Biden spoke to DeSantis on Monday morning, telling the Florida governor that he had approved an emergency declaration for the state, the White House said in a news release. DeSantis is running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

Southwest Florida is still recovering from Hurricane Ian, which was responsible last year for almost 150 deaths. The Category 5 hurricane damaged 52,000 structures, nearly 20,000 of which were destroyed or severely damaged.

After moving across Florida, Idalia is forecast to blow through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

So far this year, the U.S. East Coast has been spared from cyclones. But in the West earlier this month, Tropical Storm Hilary caused widespread flooding, mudslides and road closures in Mexico, California, Nevada and points north.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently said the 2023 hurricane season would be far busier than initially forecast, partly because of extremely warm ocean temperatures. The season runs through Nov. 30, with August and September typically the peak.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.