MIAMI (WGHP) — Tropical Storm Idalia is expected to strengthen into a hurricane and the storm could impact the Carolinas in a few days, according to the National Hurricane Center.
At 11:15 a.m. on Saturday morning, Tropical Depression Ten strengthened into Tropical Storm Idalia.
Now that the depression has strengthened into a tropical storm, maximum winds are expected to be 40 mph with higher gusts.
The storm is about 80 miles east-southeast of Cozumel, Mexico. It’s moving east at 2 mph.
“Heavy rainfall” will likely strike the Carolinas by Wednesday and remain in the region into Thursday, according to the NHC. That rainfall could lead to flash and urban flooding.
Projections currently show tropical-storm-force winds arriving in North Carolina between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.
The current path projections for the storm show Idalia arriving as a tropical storm in South Carolina on Thursday morning and hitting the North Carolina coast on Friday morning.
The sustained wind speeds of a tropical storm range from 39-73 mph.
Idalia is currently projected to strengthen into a hurricane over the eastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday evening.
