The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced on Tuesday that they have canceled their practice on Wednesday out of precaution due to Hurricane Idalia.
The team also announced it has rescheduled its Thursday practice to start at 10:45 a.m. ET and will continue to monitor the storm and its impact on the region.
Idalia strengthened into a hurricane on Tuesday and barreled toward Florida’s Gulf Coast as authorities warned residents of vulnerable areas to pack up and leave to escape the twin threats of high winds and devastating flooding.
Idalia was churning in the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 1 storm, but it was projected to come ashore early Wednesday as a Category 3 system with sustained winds of up to 120 mph (193 kph) in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle bends into the peninsula.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.