As Hurricane Idalia moved near landfall, the National Weather Service expanded a Tornado Watch for more than two dozen Florida counties that now includes all of Central Florida.
Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties are all included in the watch, which is issued until 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
A Tornado Warning was issued for east Orange and Seminole just before 4:30 a.m. for a possible radar-indicated tornado.
Tornado Warning including Bithlo FL, Geneva FL and Chuluota FL until 5:00 AM EDT pic.twitter.com/ZUqcQe5xli
— NWS Melbourne (@NWSMelbourne) August 30, 2023
Other counties in the watch include Alachua, Charlotte, Citrus, DeSoto, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lafayette, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota and Taylor
Those are all the counties closest to Idalia and its feeder bands. According to the 5 a.m. Wednesday hurricane center update, the hurricane had grown to a Category 4 storm with 130 mph sustained winds. It continued to move north off the coast of Florida toward a forecast landfall in the Big Bend area of the state later Wednesday morning.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Florida and Georgia until 3 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/fmJD5yg0CG
— NWS Melbourne (@NWSMelbourne) August 30, 2023
What’s the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning?
The NWS says that a tornado watch means, “Tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area. Review and discuss your emergency plans and check supplies and your safe room. Be ready to act quickly if a warning is issued or you suspect a tornado is approaching.”
A Tornado Warning, the NWS says, means, “A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. There is imminent danger to life and property. Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If in a mobile home, a vehicle, or outdoors, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.”
![National Weather Service experts warned Wednesday that the rise of a potent, global climate bully has set the stage for violent weather and killer tornadoes in Central Florida from now until spring. With one occurring every few to seven years at varying strengths, an El Niño climate phase is taking shape as among the stronger on record and is forecast to have a high probability of ushering powerful storm systems across the Gulf of Mexico into the Orlando region and other parts of Florida through March. National Weather Service officials said conditions in place put Central Florida at a comparable […]](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FLORIDA-TORNADOES.jpg?w=534 "National Weather Service experts warned Wednesday that the rise of a potent, global climate bully has set the stage for violent weather and killer tornadoes in Central Florida from now until spring. With one occurring every few to seven years at varying strengths, an El Niño climate phase is taking shape as among the stronger on record and is forecast to have a high probability of ushering powerful storm systems across the Gulf of Mexico into the Orlando region and other parts of Florida through March. National Weather Service officials said conditions in place put Central Florida at a comparable […]")
