Hurricane Idalia expected to make landfall in the northern Florida region early Wednesday morning.
Hurricane Idalia is forecast to strengthen into an “extremely dangerous” major hurricane with winds up to 125 mph before slamming into Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday, bringing life-threatening storm surge destructive winds and torrential rain to the region.
The Joint Crisis Action Team at the FAA Command Center manages the storm response. They help prioritize activities and get resources to the affected areas.
FAA Technical Operations works with Air Traffic Control to temporarily shut down equipment, like ground radars, to protect them from water damage. Tech Ops fuels back-up systems for generators.
FAA control towers in hurricane-prone areas are built to sustain hurricane force winds. When winds reach that level, controllers seek shelter in a secure lower level of the building. They stay on duty and return to the tower when the storm passes.
Four airports have closed or will close today in preparation for Hurricane Idalia:
- Tampa International Airport
- St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport
- Sarasota Bradenton International Airport
- Tallahassee International Airport
Orlando International Airport remains open as operators continue to monitor the status of the hurricane. Some airlines including United Airlines have added additional flights from Orlando and Sarasota International airports.