Idalia could be strongest storm to hit the Florida Big Bend for a CENTURY as it officially becomes a hurricane:14 MILLION are placed under severe weather warnings ahead of 150mph winds and 12ft storm

Hurricane Idalia is due to hit Florida in the night to Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricaneHurricane Idalia could be the strongest storm to hit the Florida Big Bend region for a century, with projections it could become a Category 3 storm with 150mph winds and a 12 foot storm surge. At 8pm on Monday the National Hurricane Center said Idalia had almost reached hurricane status. The storm's growing intensity and its northerly track put some 14 million Floridians under hurricane and tropical storm warnings along the Gulf of Mexico. No hurricanes have ever made landfall in the Big Bend region stronger than Category 3, according to abc news. If Idalia makes landfall, it will be the first in the region since Gladys in 1968 the outlet reported.