Florida State, Florida A&M football preparing for Hurricane Idalia
Tropical Storm Idalia officially became a hurricane Monday morning, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a Hurricane Warning for Leon County.
The arrival of the storm comes prior to Florida State and Florida A&M's Week 1 football matchups Sunday.
FSU travels to Camping World Stadium in Orlando to take on LSU, while FAMU plays in the Orange Blossom Classic against Jackson State at Miami Garden's Hard Rock Stadium.
FSU not altering practice schedule as of Tuesday morning
FSU head coach Mike Norvell announced Tuesday following team practice that FSU is still planning on going about its regular practice schedule as Hurricane Idalia is set to make landfall in the Big Bend Wednesday.
Tuesday at 11 a.m., the National Weather Service issued a Hurricane Warning for Leon County until 36 hours after it was issued. On Monday, Norvell was asked if there were any changes to FSU's schedule prior to the storm becoming a hurricane and he responded no. Tuesday, he reiterated the same message.
"Right now we're tracking that hourly. If we need to adapt and adjust we will, but right now tomorrow [Wednesday] is going to be a lighter and more mental day for us," Norvell said. "We'll see what that looks like when we get to that point, but right now we're not anticipating any major changes."
FSU is scheduled to practice every day leading up to its season opener against LSU. The Seminoles are scheduled to leave for Orlando on Saturday.
FSU's campus closed at 12 p.m. and will be closed through Friday.
A handful of teams in Florida have made alterations to their schedules in preparation for Hurricane Idalia.
Florida left a day early for its Thursday night matchup at Utah. UCF still plans to host Kent State on Thursday in Orlando, with Kent State putting out a statement that it still plans to travel.
FAMU adjusts practice schedule ahead of season opener against
Just a day into regular season preparation, the Rattlers have been forced to modify their practice schedule.
Instead of its normal morning practice routine, FAMU head coach Willie Simmons told the Tallahassee Democrat that Wednesday's practice will be moved to the evening.
The team plans to travel to Miami Gardens for the Orange Blossom Classic following its practice Thursday.
"For us, it's about compartmentalizing, doing the things that we need to do academically, but also preparing for the storm that's coming," Simmons said following Tuesday's practice.
Additionally, FAMU, alongside FSU and Tallahassee Community College campuses all closed at noon Tuesday and will remain shut down until Friday.
The campuses will also be closed on Monday, Sept. 4 in observance for Labor Day and reopen the following day.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU, FAMU football staying the course with Hurricane Idalia's arrival
