Idalia, a major hurricane heading straight for Florida’s Gulf Coast, expected to make landfall on Wednesdaycausing travel chaos all along the coast.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Idalia reached a maximum wind speed of 80 miles per hour Tuesday with stronger wind gusts to the north into the Gulf of Mexico. The impact predicted rapid intensification and Idalia was expected to become an extremely dangerous major hurricane before making landfall on Wednesday.
Airlines offered travel waivers and canceled flights ahead of the storm, and one airport was closed.
At 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, Tampa International Airport stopped all commercial activities and stated in a statement that it would “remain closed until it can assess any damage later in the week.”
“The closure will allow the airport and its partners to prepare the airfield and terminals, including securing jet bridges, ground equipment and any remaining aircraft ahead of Idalia’s expected landfall early Wednesday as a potential major hurricane,” the airport wrote. of Tampa in the statement. .”
“The airport expects to reopen on Thursday morning, with damage assessments starting after the storm has passed. TPA will closely coordinate the reopening of the airport with its partners based on road safety, facility readiness and staffing levels. Any changes in timing will be communicated immediately.”
According to a statement, the flights departed from nearby Southwest Florida International Airport, located in Fort Myers and closed shortly after Hurricane Ian last year. “There may be delays or changes to your flights today due to changing weather conditions. Please check with your airline for the most up to date information.”
More than 450 flights in, to or from the US have been canceled as of Tuesday morning, most of which depart or terminate in Tampa, according to flight tracker FlightAware. Southwest Airlines has the most flight cancellations of any U.S. airline, with nearly 140 disruptions in total.
before the storm, a number of airlines, including Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue and Spirit Airlines, have issued travel waivers for flights through Wednesday or Thursday.
The National Hurricane Center predicted hurricane-force winds to come as far as 15 miles from the center. Longboat Key, located on a barrier island west of Sarasota, and the Tampa Bay area up to Indian Pass, Florida, were all under a hurricane warning.
A number of theme parks, including Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and sister park Adventure Island Tampa Bay, have announced early closures in addition to travel concerns.
