Polk County may be outside Hurricane Idalia’s forecasted cone of uncertainty, but residents should still brace themselves for the full impacts of a tropical storm.
Idalia had strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane by 11 a.m. It is expected to pick up speed as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida.
The storm’s impacts can already be felt along the coast of southwest Florida as outer bands of rain and wind started to lash the area Tuesday morning, said meteorologist Rodney Wynn with the U.S. National Weather Service in Tampa Bay.
Polk has been issued a tropical storm warning, Wynn said, as Idalia’s outer rain bands and heavy winds are expected to start late Tuesday afternoon and carry into Wednesday morning.
Idalia is expected to drop an average of 4 to 6 inches of rain across most of Polk, with some heavier amounts in certain pockets. Wynn said peak rainfall amounts are likely on the west, with lesser amounts to the east and extreme southeast of the county.
Wynn said there’s the potential for some isolated tornados to form inside the hurricane’s rain bands across the county. Polk residents should remain alert and “be prepared to shelter if necessary.”
“By Wednesday afternoon, winds should start to subside as the storm moves further north,” he said.