Evacuations, governor's warning: Florida braces for 'extremely dangerous' Idalia

Idalia In Florida Updates: Florida governor Ron DeSantis urged those in the evacuation areas along the Gulf coast to go "now."

Residents along Florida's west coast were ordered to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Idalia's arrival, as forecasters warned that the storm was strengthening over an exceptionally warm Gulf of Mexico. Idalia would likely become "extremely dangerous" before landfall as the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that it had become a Category 1 hurricane overnight ahead of which it brought tropical storm conditions to western Cuba.

Idalia In Florida Updates: An avocado vender works in a street flooded by rain brought by Hurricane Idalia in Havana, Cuba. (AP)

Warm Gulf waters near 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit) are expected to intensify Idalia into an "extremely dangerous major hurricane before landfall on Wednesday," the NHC said.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis urged those in the evacuation areas along the Gulf coast to go "now."

"You don't have to go hundreds of miles," he said urging residents in the 23 counties under evacuation orders to get to shelters or hotels that were out of the danger zones.

"This is going to be a major hurricane, likely a Category 3," he said.

Idalia is expected to make impact farther north along the coast, an area which Ron DeSantis said "hasn't had a major hurricane in a long time."

"It is a lot of woods and forest and you will see a lot of debris," the governor said. US president Joe Biden spoke with Ron DeSantis and approved an emergency declaration for the state promising his full support, a White House spokesman said.

The Tampa International Airport also closed for the storm while the nearby US Air Force base has ordered a mandatory evacuation of “non-mission essential individuals and dependents.” Georgia and South Carolina are also under storm watches. Flash and urban flooding may hit parts of Florida and southern Georgia into Wednesday, the NHC said.

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is preparing for the storm's impact, including by deploying some of its staff, the White House said.

Idalia damage in Cuba and Mexico

Cuba authorities declared a hurricane alert for the provinces of Pinar del Rio and Artemisa as well as Isla de la Juventud as thousands of Cubans evacuated or fled ahead of the storm, news agency AFP reported. Cuban state media said about 8,000 people had left their homes to seek shelter with family or friends in Pinar del Rio.

Idalia also dumped rain on Mexico's state of Quintana Roo.