Districts across Florida are shutting down just as the school year is getting underway with Tropical Storm Idalia approaching and forecasts warning it could become a major hurricane when it makes landfall later this week.
Idalia is expected to cross the Gulf of Mexico and hit Florida’s west coast, north of Tampa, as a Category 2 or 3 hurricane sometime on Wednesday morning. But the storm’s impacts will be felt as early as Tuesday.
One of the biggest districts to close, , which is headquartered in Jacksonville, is canceling classes from Tuesday to Thursday so its buildings can be used as shelters.
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Hillsborough County Public Schools, based in Tampa, and Pinellas County Schools, which covers Clearwater and St. Petersburg, are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
was one of the first districts to announce closures in what quickly became a cascade of cancellations as the forecast became more certain. Emergency officials need to use the school buildings as storm shelters. Hernando’s neighbors to the north, the , is dismissing early Monday and will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and the has also canceled classes on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Here’s a full list (as of 1:30 p.m., Monday) of the days districts will be closed:
- : Tuesday and Wednesday
- : Tuesday and Wednesday
- : Tuesday and Wednesday
- : Tuesday and Wednesday
- (Jacksonville): Tuesday through Thursday
- : Tuesday and Wednesday
- : Tuesday and Wednesday
- : Tuesday and Wednesday
- : Monday through Wednesday
- (Tampa):Tuesday and Wednesday
- : Wednesday
- : Wednesday
- : Tuesday and Wednesday
- : Early dismissal Tuesday, closed Wednesday
- : Tuesday and Wednesday
- : Tuesday and Wednesday
- : Tuesday and Wednesday
- (St. Petersburg): Tuesday and Wednesday
- : Tuesday and Wednesday
- : Tuesday
- : Tuesday and Wednesday
- : Tuesday and Wednesday
are also watching the storm with officials expecting to make school closure decisions on Tuesday.
Several districts farther south on Flordia’s west coast were shut for weeks last October after they were heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 storm.
