Two hurricanes made landfall Tuesday in the southeastern United States as the Atlantic hurricane season was in full swing. The National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Idalia was off the coast of Cuba and was about to make landfall as a major hurricane on Florida's Gulf Coast.
During Monday's press conference, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called on residents to prepare for "major impacts" on the Gulf Coast.
"We expect Hurricane Idalia to be a major hurricane hitting Florida," he said.
President Biden spoke with DeSantis on Monday and approved the state's emergency declaration, the White House announced.
Idalia is expected to become a major hurricane over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday morning," the center said, adding that it could also reach the Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday.
The center notes that "it is every dangerous and life-threatening storms and wind surges" from Idalia are becoming more likely in some parts of Florida. Major hurricanes are generally Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane 5 scale: storms that, according to the NHC , can cause “devastating” and “catastrophic” damage.