Watch: Florida highway submerged in water as Hurricane Idalia approaches

Watch as a Floridahighway becomes submerged in water as Hurricane Idalia sweeps in on Wednesday 30 August.

The live traffic camera shows a flooded Florida interstate over Tampa Bay.

Idalia intensified to a Category 4 major hurricane at around 5am ET with the National Hurricane Center warning of ‘catastrophic storm surge and destructive winds’ nearing the Florida Big Bend.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned the category 4 storm would barrel into the state with winds in excess of 130mph by around 8am ET on Wednesday.

“Don’t mess with this storm,” he said. “Don’t do anything that will put yourself in jeapardy.”

In the briefing, officials warned that emergency services may not be able to reach people in the midst of the storm.

Search and rescue operations are poised and ready to go as soon as the storm passes but – during the storm – residents were urged to look after their families and hunker down in their homes.