Hurricane Idalia barrels toward Florida

Hurricane Idalia intensified to a Category 2 storm late Tuesday as it barreled toward Florida’s west coast.

Reaching 110 mph winds on Tuesday night, the hurricane is expected to make landfall in Florida early Wednesday morning, by which time it may be a Category 3 storm.

The storm is anticipated to bring storm surges up to 15 feet to Florida’s Big Bend area, where residents have been ordered to evacuate.

“There is great potential for death and catastrophic devastation,” said the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office. “Storm surge on the coastal regions are projected as non-survivable.”