Gov. Ron DeSantis directed the state Division of Emergency Management to prepare for a storm that could affect Florida next week. “Residents should remain vigilant and prepare for possible impacts early next week,” DeSantis said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The National Hurricane Center on Friday was tracking the weather disturbance over the northwestern Caribbean Sea. The system was producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms, but it is expected to gradually develop in the coming days as it moves into the eastern Gulf of Mexico. If it strengthens into a named storm, it would be Idalia. The National Hurricane Center’s seven-day outlook indicated the system, with a 70 percent chance of formation into a named storm, could go anywhere from Florida’s west coast to the Panhandle.
