Hurricane Idalia has prompted evacuations as it approaches Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 2 storm late Tuesday, about a day after it flooded several parts of Cuba as a tropical storm.
People walk through a flooded area of Batabano, a Cuban town south of Havana.
The hurricane led to flooding in parts of western Cuba and left hundreds of thousands of Cubans without electricity by Tuesday, according to multiple outlets.
Category 2 designation was given to Idalia as it neared Florida on Tuesday, with the National Weather Service forecasting a Wednesday morning landfall that could be accompanied by life-threatening conditions.
The storm was west-southwest of Tampa as of 8 p.m. Tuesday and is barreling north at about 10 miles per hour, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 105 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for several counties along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Idalia is expected to become a Category 3 hurricane as it strengthens overnight, according to the National Hurricane Center.
A car drives through a flooded street in Havana, Cuba
A fruit vendor continues business on a flooded street in the capital of Havana.
A couple remains outside their house in a flooded area of Batabano, Cuba.
A Cuban Red Cross member works on a flooded street in Batabano, Cuba.
Workers set up barricades to prevent flooding at Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, Florida.
Renda Doherty (L) with her husband William Doherty board their home ahead of Hurricane Idalia's ... [+]
Flight cancellations litter the departure screens at Tampa International Airport.