Weather Update: Idalia Forecast for North Carolina as Of Tuesday Afternoon

As of Tuesday afternoon, Hurricane Idalia is currently impacting Florida, as it rapidly gains strength in the Gulf of Mexico.

The storm is expected to reach Category 3 strength before the eye of the storm hits land somewhere in the Big Bend area of Florida.

Outer bands of the storm should impact North Carolina as we reach Wednesday afternoon, with the center of the storm expected to pass through our region sometime Thursday afternoon.

Also of note, in the last few hours, some closures and delays have been announced. You can see all the closings and adjustments on our special page here.

By late afternoon Tuesday, the National Weather Service has put in place a Tropical Storm Watch up to the coast of North Carolina, and a Flood Watch up to Virginia.

Currently, our region should feel the impacts of the storm starting Wednesday evening, with more extensive impact later in the night, into Thursday.

DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK
----------------------
At 500 PM EDT (2100 UTC), the center of Hurricane Idalia was located
near latitude 26.1 North, longitude 84.8 West. Idalia is moving
toward the north near 16 mph (26 km/h). A northward to
north-northeastward motion is expected through tonight, with
Idalia's center forecast to reach the Big Bend coast of Florida on
Wednesday morning. After landfall, the center of Idalia is
forecast to turn toward the northeast and east, moving near or
along the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina
late Wednesday and Thursday.

Data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate
that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 100 mph (155
km/h) with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is forecast, and
Idalia is expected to become a major hurricane tonight before it
reaches the Big Bend coast of Florida. Idalia is likely to still
be a hurricane while moving across southern Georgia, and possibly
when it reaches the coast of Georgia or southern South Carolina on
Wednesday.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 km) from the
center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 160 miles
(260 km).

The minimum central pressure based on reconnaissance data is 972 mb
(28.71 inches).

Even with a landfall in Florida, a large rain field will impact the North Carolina area dramatically. Moderate flooding is expected across Southeastern North Carolina.