Hurricane Idalia is forecasted to become an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 intensity storm when it makes landfall in Florida Wednesday morning.

The storm is located about 125 miles west of Tampa and 185 miles south of Tallahassee, with maximum sustained winds remaining at 110 mph, according to Fox Weather. Idalia is moving to the north at 18 mph.

The National Hurricane Center announced at about 11 p.m. Tuesday night that Idalia continues to strengthen as it moves toward Florida and is expected to be an "extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane at landfall" in Florida's Big Bend region with catastrophic storm surge inundation.

"There is the potential for destructive life-threatening winds where the core of Idalia moves onshore in the Big Bend region of Florida, with hurricane conditions expected elsewhere in portions of the Hurricane Warning area along the Florida Gulf Coast," the National Hurricane Center said.

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"Strong winds will also spread inland across portions of northern Florida and southern Georgia near the track of the center of Idalia where Hurricane Warnings are in effect," the NHC continued. "Residents in these areas should be prepared for long-duration power outages. Damaging hurricane-force winds are possible in portions of eastern Georgia and southeastern South Carolina where Hurricane Watches are in effect."

Local officials have urged residents in impacted areas to evacuate. Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis warned earlier on Tuesday that first responders would be unable to reach people who stay until after the storm has passed. DeSantis said 49 counties are in a state of emergency, including 30 counties issuing evacuation orders amid concerns that a life-threatening storm surge could inundate coastal communities.

"Storm surge of this magnitude is not something we've ever seen in this part of Florida in any of our lifetimes," DeSantis said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. "So, please, please take the appropriate precautions."

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At least 50 school districts have announced that they will remain closed for at least the next few days, and 29 state colleges and seven universities have canceled classes, Fox Weather reported. Multiple airports in Florida closed Tuesday afternoon and SunRail service in Orlando has been suspended until further notice. Bridges will also begin to close when winds reach 40 mph. 

Areas of flash, urban and moderate river flooding are expected across Florida's Big Bend, central Georgia and South Carolina, as well as through eastern North Carolina into Thursday, the NHC said.

Idalia was nearing Category 3 as of late Tuesday as it continues to rapidly intensify in the Gulf of Mexico, according to Fox Weather.

South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster declared a State of Emergency for the state on Tuesday.

The storm produced rainfall leading up to its landfall that began to flood parts of Florida, Fox Weather reported. Vehicles in Charlotte County were observed driving through shallow floodwater.

The first significant rain band will soon move onshore in Florida, resulting in heavy rain 30 to 50 mph wind gusts and a few tornado warnings, according to the Fox Forecast Center.

Two Massachusetts residents have contracted the mosquito-born West Nile virus in the state's first human cases of the year.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced Tuesday, August 29 that one woman in her 70s was exposed to the virus in another area of the country and a man in his 40s was exposed in Middlesex County in Massachusetts.

Authorities noted that the virus is at a moderate risk level in the Greater Boston area, which includes Middlesex County, Norfolk County and Suffolk County, as well as in parts of Bristol County, Plymouth County, Worcester County, Hampden County, Hampshire County and Berkshire County.

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"This is the first time that West Nile virus infection has been identified in Massachusetts residents this year," said Public Health Commissioner Robert Goldstein, MD, PhD. 

Goldstein said that August and September are the highest risk months for contracting the deadly virus.

"Populations of mosquitoes that can carry and spread this virus are fairly large this year, and we have seen recent increases in the number of WNV-positive mosquito samples from multiple parts of the Commonwealth," Goldstein said.

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In 2022, there were eight human cases of the West Nile virus infection identified in Massachusetts, with the first being announced on August 25. The first case of 2021 came on September 1.

Since the West Nile virus first entered the U.S. in 1999, it has become the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In most cases, the West Nile virus — a flavivirus in the same family as yellow fever, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis and the Zika virus — is spread when Culex mosquitoes bite infected birds and then bite people and other animals, according to the CDC’s website.

The virus is not transmitted through eating or handling infected animals or birds, nor is it spread through physical contact, coughing or sneezing.

A vast majority — around 80% — of the people who contract WNV will not experience any symptoms, the CDC states on its website.

"These people would only know there were previously infected if blood antibodies were checked," explained Dr. George Thompson, professor of medicine at UCDavis Medical Center in Sacramento, in an email to Fox News Digital.

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Around one in five people will develop febrile illness, which is marked by a fever along with body aches, headache, joint pain, diarrhea, rash and/or vomiting. These symptoms usually go away on their own, but some people may have lingering weakness and fatigue months after infection.

In rare cases — about one in every 150 infected people — the virus can lead to serious conditions affecting the nervous system, such as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord), the CDC states on its website.

Those who develop serious illness may experience headache, stiff neck, high fever, disorientation, vision loss, muscle weakness, convulsions, tremors, coma or paralysis, which occur when there is viral infection of the central nervous system. 

Melissa Rudy contributed to this report.