Hurricane Idalia hits Florida – NRK Norway – Overview of news from across the country

Hurricane “Adalia” swept Cuba and hit the coast of Florida shortly before 2:00 pm, Norwegian time. It was just before eight o’clock in the morning in Florida.

The hurricane had winds of more than 200 kilometers per hour in several places, according to the National Weather Service.

That’s about 55.5 meters per second.

It is the strong winds that surround the calm eye of the hurricane that are now hitting the ground, the so-called eye wall.

– Protect your life

The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee advised people to prepare as if a hurricane was approaching.

Do something now to save your life, like they said before the hurricane hit.

Residents in exposed coastal areas were told to evacuate on Tuesday in anticipation of life-threatening storms and heavy rains.

– You really have to go now. Now is the time, Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Tuesday.

Parts of Cuba without electricity

The National Weather Service says no major tornado has ever been recorded in the area.

Idalia reached land in the Gulf as Florida transitions from being a peninsula to following the coast of the Gulf of Mexico westward.

The hurricane was initially classified as a Category 4 hurricane, but the hurricane weakened somewhat before making landfall and is now a Category 3 hurricane with winds of just over 200 km/h.

This represents a decrease of 8 km/h and does not reduce the risk associated with the tornado.

Idalia has already devastated Cuba and flooded the tobacco province of Pinar del Rio. Many of the island’s residents are still without electricity.