Hurricane nears Category 3 strength: Recap

Whether it makes landfall as a Category 3 or a more powerful Category 4 hurricane, Idalia will make history.

The last Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in Florida was only last year, when Ian made landfall in southwestern mainland Florida on Sept. 28.

It ultimately was blamed for more than 150 deaths and $112 billion in damage, a record amount for tropical cyclones in Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Ian also made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in Cuba before it hit Florida and as a Category 1 storm in South Carolina after its landfall in Florida.

The last Category 3 hurricane to hit Florida was Wilma in October 2005. Wilma hit the Keys and parts of South Florida, including Collier and Miami-Dade counties.

Many island communities throughout the Keys flooded, and some of the worst damage occurred in Fort Lauderdale.

The highest recorded wind speeds were 100 to 120 mph, and the maximum storm surge was about 18 feet, mostly south of Chokoloskee, according to the National Weather Service.

Wilma resulted in at least five deaths in the U.S. and about $20.6 billion in property damage, according to the Florida Institute of Technology.

Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach said today the simultaneous presence of Idalia and Franklin, which is 245 miles west of Bermuda, is the first time since 1950 two tropical cyclones with greater than 110 mph sustained winds have co-existed in the Atlantic.

Idalia is expected to be a Category 4 hurricane by the time it makes landfall along Florida's Big Bend region tomorrow morning, the National Hurricane Center said late tonight.

A Category 4 brings with it the possibility of catastrophic damage, structural damage and uprooted trees and utility poles, the hurricane center says. It means some areas might not be habitable for weeks.

With sustained winds of 110 mph, the storm was 1 mph shy of Category 3 on its way to the more powerful Category 4 status, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Sustained winds of 111 mph would put it at Category 3. Sustained winds of 130 or greater would make it a Category 4 storm. Either would mean a shift from hurricane to major hurricane, a status given at Category 3 and higher.

The hurricane was about 125 miles west of Tampa and gaining strength, the National Hurricane Center said. It was moving north at 18 mph and was expected to make landfall sometime in the morning.

The full-service hospital serving Taylor County, Doctors' Memorial Hospital, said it has shifted all patients to other facilities as a precaution.

The hospital in Perry, southeast of Tallahassee and inland of the coastline's Big Bend, will keep its emergency department open, interim CEO Lauren Faison-Clark said.

"In preparation for Hurricane Idalia, Doctors’ Memorial Hospital in Perry, FL proactively moved all inpatients to other facilities for care," she said.

Idalia is expected to make landfall south of Perry tomorrow morning, according to NBC News' Weather and Climate Unit.

The rural county has more than 21,000 residents, the state Health Department said last year.

Uber announced it will provide free round-trip rides to shelters for residents evacuating during Hurricane Idalia.

Free rides can be up to $35 each way and can be used for shelter locations in the following counties: Alachua, Citrus, Collier, Dixie, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lake, Leon, Manatee, Marion, Nassau, Orange, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, Sumter, Union and Volusia.

Nearly all of Florida's western coastline is under a tornado watch.

The watch, which is in effect until 6 a.m. tomorrow, covers 22 counties from the area from roughly Bonita Springs to the start of the Big Bend, according to the National Weather Service.

The watch means that tornadoes are possible and that residents should be ready in case the next level of alert is issued — a warning.

The weather service said a waterspout, essentially an over-sea cyclone or tornado, was spotted off the Tampa Bay-area coast today.

Idalia is about as close as it is going to get to Tampa over the next three hours. There are signs the storm surge is increasing.

It's almost low tide, but the water is no longer dropping — it is slightly rising. The water level is 1.58 feet above the predicted normal tide — so almost a 2-foot surge. 

Luckily for Tampa, the surge is hitting at the best possible time — low tide. 

The Pinellas County government urged Tampa-area residents not to call 911 if they lose power tonight.

It's going to happen, they say.

"Hurricane Idalia will bring strong winds overnight, so power outages are likely," the county said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Residents can call Duke Energy — not 911 — to report outages, the county said.

The area was under a tornado watch, a hurricane warning and a storm surge warning through tomorrow, the National Weather Service said.

Hospitals in the storm's path are preparing to support patients and communities before Idalia makes landfall.

The Florida Hospital Association said it is coordinating with member hospitals and state leaders to identify any unmet needs and deliver vital resources.

Florida hospitals have been "comprehensively evaluating their facilities" and "implementing backup communication systems," the agency said in a statement.

“Florida hospitals are committed to remaining open and maintaining 24/7 operations as long as they are able to do so safely and reopening as soon as possible after the storm,” said its president, Mary Mayhew, .