/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/TBCQ2JHZRFFQVKCB4OGVEUXIWI.png "The National Hurricane Center said its likely the Tampa Bay area could see a storm surge as high as 7 feet when Idalia makes landfall on Florida's west coast.")
Pinellas officials have issued their first evacuation orders ahead of Idalia, the tropical storm swirling south of Florida that’s expected to hit the state as a powerful hurricane later this week.
County officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for those living in evacuation Zone A and for all mobile home residents.
The release noted the threat of “life-threatening storm surge” in the county once the hurricane hits. The evacuation order goes into effect at 7 p.m. Monday.
Residential health care facilities are also included in the order, the release said.
Pinellas’ order follows similar directives from Pasco, Citrus and Hernando counties, which came earlier Monday. It also came just minutes before Gov. Ron DeSantis was slated to speak at a news conference scheduled for 1:45 p.m. at the county’s Largo emergency management center.
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Tampa Bay Times hurricane coverage 2023
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Hurricane season 2023 is near. Here’s what to know about forecast tracks.
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