During a press conference at 6:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Hurricane Idalia is expected to make landfall in Taylor County in the Big Bend region in the next two hours.

The Category 4 hurricane is forecast to touch down in Keaton Beach, about 75 miles southeast of Tallahassee, according to Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

DeSantis said a “life-threatening” storm surge of up to 16 feet could hit the Big Bend region.

There is currently a 2 to 3 foot storm surge in Tampa and a 4 foot storm surge in Cedar Key. The storm surge is expected to increase over the next few hours, Guthrie said.

The hurricane impact will reach far from the eyeball, potentially as far as Tallahassee and northeastern Florida. Search and rescue teams will be deployed across the state once the winds die down, according to the governor.

-ABC News’ Victoria Arancio