- Hurricane Idalia is expected to intensify into a Category 3 storm with 125mph winds
- The hurricane is speeding up and is now expected to make landfall in the early hours of Wednesday morning
- Governor Ron DeSantis urged residents to abandon their homes as at least 22 counties are hit with evacuation orders
Flooding has hit Fort Myers Beach for the second time in a year as Hurricane Idalia barrels towards Florida.
Shocking footage shows the town submerged as the monster storm moved closer to landfall, which is expected to hit in the early hours of Wednesday.
Streets were flooded and completely devastated by Hurricane Ian less than a year ago, with Fort Myers Beach bearing the brunt of the Category-5 hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center on Tuesday predicted water from Idalia could consume Cedar Keys completely before sweeping up to ten miles inland.
The storm has maximum sustained winds of up to 90mph – just 6mph away from a Category-2 hurricane.
It has also spurned dozens of tornado warnings across the west of the state as Floridians made last-minute preparations ahead of the storm.
States including Florida, Georgia and North Carolina all announce a state of emergency on Tuesday as the tempest prepared to wallop the coastline.