Hurricane Idalia could be the strongest storm to hit the Florida Big Bend region for a century,  with projections it could become a Category 3 storm with 150mph winds and a 12 foot storm surge. 

The large storm officially became a hurricane today and is currently churning around 80 miles off the western tip of Cuba and is barreling north towards Florida with winds now at 70mph. At 8pm on Monday the National Hurricane Center said Idalia had almost reached hurricane status.

It's projected to grow into a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph sustained winds and gusts up to 150 mph before making landfall while also producing a storm surge up to 12 feet. 

The storm's growing intensity and its northerly track put some 14 million Floridians under hurricane and tropical storm warnings along the Gulf of Mexico.

Authorities warned that the chief hazard to human life posed by the storm would be from surging walls of seawater driven inland by high winds, inundating low-lying coastal areas.

No hurricanes have ever made landfall in the Big Bend region stronger than Category 3, according to abc news. 

If Idalia makes landfall, it will be the first in the region since Gladys in 1968, the outlet reported.