Hurricane Idalia Latest: Storm strengthens to a Major Category 2 Hurricane with winds of 100 mph

In the 5 pm update from the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Idalia continues to grow rapidly and is now officially a Major Category 2 Storm.

The National Hurricane Center has just released its 5 pm Hurricane Idalia update, and the storm is now a Category 2 Storm, that is set to slam the state's west coast with dangerous life threatening winds and storm surge.

In the latest update, there is little change to Idalia's track, and as Hurricane Idalia powers through the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Weather Service is warning of a "life-threatening, dangerous situation," when the storm makes landfall as a major hurricane Wednesday.

"To put this system into the historical context, there are no major hurricanes in the historical dataset going back to 1851 that have tracked into Apalachee Bay. None," the advisory said.

Idalia is currently packing winds of 100 mph, and is centered about 195 miles southwest of Tampa.

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