Idalia strengthens into Category 4 hurricane as it nears Florida coast – NHC

(Reuters) – Idalia has strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson wind scale as nears the Florida Big Bend region, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Wednesday.

Idalia was located about 60 miles (95 km) west of Cedar Key, Florida in the Gulf of Mexico, packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph), the Miami-based forecaster said.

“Idalia could continue to strengthen before it reaches the Big Bend coast of Florida in a few hours. While Idalia should weaken after landfall, it is likely to still be a hurricane while moving across southern Georgia,” the NHC said.

(Reporting by Swati Verma and Brijesh Patel in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue and Angus MacSwan)