Could Tropical Storm Idalia form next week? NHC says it's 70% likely

A broad area of low pressure over the northwestern Caribbean Sea could become a tropical depression over the next several days.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says that conditions in the area seem to point toward the gradual development of the system over the next several days.

There is a 30% chance for formation through the next 48 hours, but those chances spike to 70% through the next seven days.

NHC believes we could see that pressure become a tropical depression late this weekend or early next week as it moves northward over the northwestern Caribbean Sean and the eastern Gulf.

Right now, the pressure is producing disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity near the northeastern coast of Honduras, isolated thunderstorms near Jamaica and similar conditions near the Colombia coast.

While it’s still too early to tell what, if any, impact this potential system could have in Florida, this weekend is the perfect time to get your hurricane supplies are in order as the state’s second disaster preparedness tax-free “holiday” starts on Saturday.

Florida’s second tax-free hurricane supply “holiday” starts Saturday, Aug. 26, and runs until Sept. 8. It’s part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ historic tax relief plan he signed in May, dubbed the Freedom Summer Sales Tax Holiday.

A full list of eligible items can be found here.

It’s important to have an emergency plan that’s written down and distributed among family or anyone else who may need to know where you or your family are in the event of an emergency. Evacuation routes should be included in those plans. Here are the evacuation routes in Escambia County.

Click here if you’re having trouble viewing the map.

Knowing your evacuation zone can help you understand when to evacuate and help you determine a storm’s potential impact on your home.

Escambia County has a nifty “know your zone” evacuation tool that you can use to find your evacuation zone. Here’s how to use it:

Let’s refer to these panels as A, B and C.

Panel A — Parcel evacuation level

This panel will show your property’s evacuation zone and the amount of surge in feet, above ground level. Your home’s evacuation zone will be highlighted in blue.

It’s important to note here that this is the “minimum” evacuation level, which means your home is vulnerable to higher evacuation levels and higher surge depths.

Here’s a quick example: If your home’s minimum evacuation level is B, you can click on options C, D or E to view other levels of vulnerability your home may also experience.

Panel B — Building image

Panel B is mostly an illustration of how storm surge might impact your home within the specified evacuation zone. The building image is meant to be a representation of a home, not an exact match of your home.

Panel C — Neighborhood impact

In Panel C, you can click the “Show Neighborhood Impact” button to toggle a look at how a storm could impact your neighborhood.

You can also interact with this panel in the same ways you would Google or Apple Maps.

Santa Rosa County does not have an embeddable interactive evacuation route and shelters map, but one can be found here.

Santa Rosa County has a similar “know your zone” tool residents can use to find their evacuation zone. Here’s how to use it: