Axios

Idalia strengthened into a Category 4 major hurricane as it neared Florida's Gulf coast Wednesday morning after rapidly intensifying over record-warm waters.

Threat level: "SHELTER IN PLACE!" said the National Weather Service's Tampa Bay office online early Wednesday, noting the hurricane was strengthening ahead of its expected landfall as an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm on Florida's Big Bend coast Wednesday morning.

A rare blue supermoon will rise Wednesday night — appearing slightly larger and brighter than ordinary full moons.

Why it matters: The next moon of its kind won't be seen until January 2037, according to NASA.

Hurricane Idalia's forecast track, rate of intensification and the environment it will encounter as it approaches land sets it apart from other recent damaging storms in several ways, hurricane experts told Axios.

The big picture: First, there is the storm setup. It is no accident that the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico have hit record highs recently, amid astonishing streaks of record-setting warmth in nearby land areas.