Hurricane Idalia Makes Landfall in Big Bend Region of Florida as Category 3 Storm

Posted: August 30, 2023 12:52 pm

Hurricane Idalia made landfall early Wednesday as a strong Category 3 storm, leaving much of the west coast of Florida inundated with torrential rain and battered by high winds. Here is the latest on this storm and where it is headed next.

Latest on Hurricane Idalia

Hurricane Idalia spent the day Tuesday gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico, briefly intensifying into a Category 4 storm before making landfall as a powerful Category 3 tropical event. The storm came on shore at Keaton Beach in the Big Bend region of Florida on Wednesday at 7:45 am EDT, packing sustained wind speeds of 125 mph. Idalia is the strongest hurricane to make a landfall in the Big Bend area in 125 years.

As of mid-day Wednesday, Idalia was churning through Georgia as a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds up to 90 mph. Forecasters warn that Georgia will bear the brunt of Idalia’s wrath until late Wednesday when the center of the storm will push into South Carolina.

A flash flood emergency is in effect for Georgia’s Brooks and Lowndes counties as the rain continues to pound this part of the state. This emergency includes the city of Valdosta. Meteorologists estimate that between 3 to 6 inches has already fallen on this area with another 1 to 2 inches in the forecast today.

What is Next for Idalia

Idalia is moving at a fast clip, bringing its impacts into the Carolinas and beyond. A tornado watch is in effect through 10 pm EDT for portions of North Carolina and South Carolina, encompassing almost two million people in the cities of Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and Wilmington. There are also parts of Florida and southeastern Georgia still under a tornado watch.

Savannah, Georgia is forecast to experience tropical storm conditions through the end of the day. A storm surge of between 3 and 5 feet is in the forecast, triggering the chance of flooding. While the densely populated city of Atlanta will escape the worst of the impacts, the metro area will likely see thunderstorms and winds gusting up to 20 mph from the outer bands of the storm.

Moving up the coast of the Southeast, Charleston, South Carolina is expected to see tropical storm conditions into early Thursday. Like Savannah, this coastal city will also likely see a storm surge of 3 to 5 feet. A surge of 1 to 3 feet is in the forecast for Wilmington, North Carolina.

Flood watches are in effect for a large swath of the Southeast and Florida. Local officials are warning that despite Idalia moving far inland, the greatest threat of flooding may be yet to come.

For instance, the Alafia River in Hillsborough County, Florida is now at major flood stage due to Idalia’s storm surge. This river near the city of Tampa hit 6.56 feet on Wednesday morning and is expected to continue to rise through the afternoon thanks to the persistent rain and a high tide. Numerous road closures are now in effect for this part of Hillsborough County due to the flooding.

Water levels on the Big Bend’s Steinhatchee River soared to over 9 feet in a period of just two hours on Wednesday, shattering the previous record set in 2016 by Hurricane Hermine. The highest level happened in the town of the same name, hitting a measurement of over 8 feet higher than normal.

High Winds and Storm Surge Leaving Behind Damage

The high winds have also knocked out power for thousands. Approximately 260,000 customers were without power in Florida as of noon Wednesday. This number is even higher when the outages in Georgia are factored into the total. Local officials are warning residents to be cautious with downed power lines.

Record storm surge is also proving to be a problem for some parts of the west coast of Florida. This surge hit as high as 8.88 feet at Cedar Key shortly after landfall. A new record storm surge was reported at Old Port Tampa when the water hit approximately 5 feet over the mean.

The good news coming out of Tampa is that the airport announced that it will begin taking inbound flights on Wednesday at 4 pm EDT. Tampa International Airport will fully reopen early Thursday. Officials confirmed that the airport sustained minimal damage, however, the flooding did not impact the runways.

Two Fatalities Confirmed as Result of Idalia

While the early reports are still coming in, officials in Florida have confirmed two fatalities as a result of Idlaia. According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), two men were killed in automobile accidents due to extremely inclement conditions on the roadways.

A 59-year-old man from Gainesville reportedly lost his life when he lost control of his Toyota pickup truck on State Route 20. Another crash took the life of a 40-year-old Spring Hill man, also driving a pickup truck on St. Joe Road in Paso County. Both accidents occurred around 6 am ET.

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