Orange County Mayor Comments on Potential Impact of Hurricane Idalia

Currently, Hurricane Idalia is making its way toward Orlando, and if you’re in the area, you probably want to know exactly what’s going on with the storm.

Disney World is under a tropical storm watch, and both Orange and Osceola Counties (where Disney World is located) are under a State of Emergency. But what exactly does this mean folks in the area can expect?

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and other local officials held a press conference on August 29th to discuss Hurricane Idalia’s potential impact on the area. Here’s what we know.

Key messages from the latest Hurricane Idalia forecast.

The Mayor shared that in addition to the Florida State of Emergency, he also declared a local state of emergency for Orange County. As of the latest predictions, Idalia is expected to strengthen to a Category 3 or 4 storm.

Orange County, in particular, is expected to “experience tropical storm force winds for 12 hours or so beginning at midnight” on the evening of August 29th and continuing through noon on August 30th. Mayor Demings also shared that there will likely be some damage as a result of winds from the storm.

The latest wind arrival time from the National Hurricane Center

The area can anticipate about five inches of rain, though wind is expected to be the “most problematic element of this storm for Orlando.” The National Weather Service has predicted sustained winds of 40 mph with gusts up to 55 mph.

Local officials are urging residents to not drive through standing water and to stay indoors once the storm arrives. Duke Energy has declared that the area could experience downed power lines and power outages.

We’ll be keeping an eye out for more Hurricane Idalia updates before it reaches Florida and potentially impacts Disney World, so stay tuned to AllEars for more.