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Much of the Florida Gulf Coast is under a state of emergency Saturday as forecasters track a weather system that could turn into a tropical cyclone and may impact the state in coming days.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the state of emergency for 33 counties and said the storm system could hit the area next week. The National Hurricane Center said there’s a 90% chance the system will become a cyclone in the next 48 hours.
“I encourage Floridians to have a plan in place and ensure that their hurricane supply kit is stocked.” DeSantis said in a statement Saturday.
Storm could hit Florida early next week
The emergency declaration covers the Gulf Coast from the southwestern city of Fort Myers north through Panama City in the Panhandle.
DeSantis’ office said the weather system could make landfall as a tropical storm or hurricane along Florida’s Gulf Coast early or mid-next week, “with the potential for heavy rainfall, strong winds, and for isolated tornadic activity.”
Storm system to bring heavy rains to parts of Cuba
As of Saturday afternoon, the storm was becoming “better organized” and was located near the Yucatan Channel and is “expected to move very slowly northward into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico during the next couple of days,” the Hurricane Center said.
Heavy rains are likely in western Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.
Next named storm will be Idalia
Unless another tropical storm forms in the next few days, the system could be named Idalia (pronounced “ee-DAL-ya”) — the next name up for grabs in the 2023 Atlantic hurricane system — if it strengthens.
Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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