Hurricane Idalia expected to rapidly intensify
Hurricane Idalia has strengthened with winds now sustained at 80 mph and is projected to become a major hurricane ahead of landfall tomorrow morning near the Florida Big Bend. Though the storm is still battling moderate wind shear, this is expected to weaken over the next 24 hours. Now that the storm is moving into the southern Gulf, warmer than usual sea surface temperatures will aid in rapid intensification. The storm's forward speed has stayed consistent, moving north at 14 mph.