Tropical Depression Ten has been upgraded to Tropical Storm Idalia as it continues to meander in the Northwest Caribbean Sunday, remaining adjacent to the Yucatan Peninsula.
The system will linger in the same vicinity until Monday when it will begin its trek through the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
As of Sunday afternoon, it was moving northeast at 3 mph.
As of Sunday night, Idalia was fairly stationary with winds of 60 mph.
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Idalia is expected to develop into a hurricane by Monday afternoon, with landfall sometime early Wednesday morning as a category 2 hurricane.
The intensity and track forecast is likely to be adjusted in the coming days.
Tropical storm warnings remain in effect in the northwest Caribbean through Sunday afternoon.
Local
There are new hurricane watches and tropical storm watches from the Panhandle down to west Central Florida.
Devastating storm surge can be expected on the west coast.
This may change by early Monday morning.
Gulf coast residents should continue to review their hurricane preparation plan for impacts such as damaging winds, inland flooding, storm surge and tornadoes.
At a Sunday afternoon news conference, Governor Ron Desantis emphasized the uncertainty that still surrounds Idalia.
“This thing hasn’t even gotten to Cuba yet, and the water in the Gulf is very, very warm and so that will provide some fuel for this thing to pick up some more speed,” DeSantis said. “As we know, these things can wobble, so Floridians along our Gulf Coast should be vigilant even if you're currently outside the cone.”
In South Florida, the forecast in the days ahead will feature a breezy pattern with passing downpours, with the ultimate track and intensity dictating the forecast locally.
As for the Florida Keys -- on Sunday night, the Tropical Storm Watch for the Dry Tortugas was updated to a Tropical Storm Warning.
Meanwhile, a Tropical Storm Watch was issued for the Lower Florida Keys, west of the west end of the Seven Mile Bridge.
A slightly closer approach will increase the breeze and expected wet weather, while a system tracking west will dampen the resultant weather for the area.
With any passing downpours, wind gusts may peak at 40-45 mph Monday evening through Wednesday night.
Considering the current forecast, the NBC6 viewing area is not expected to experience adverse weather as a result of this tropical cyclone.
Regardless, the pending annual cycle of King Tides will increase the risk of localized flooding mid-week around South Florida.
