CEDAR KEY, Fla. - Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Florida’s west coast of the Gulf of Mexico as an upper-level Cat 3 storm Aug. 30 unleashing life-threatening storm surges and rainfall in an area not accustomed to such pummeling.
Idalia came ashore in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. It made landfall near Keaton Beach at 7:45 a.m. with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph. The storm brought flooding to the streets of Tampa and other communities.
Storm surge could rise as high as 15 feet in some places.
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event.” But not everyone was heeding the warning to leave.
Idalia “stands a chance of setting a record for intensification rate because it’s over water that’s so warm,” said MIT hurricane professor Kerry Emanuel.
More than 140,000 utility customers were without power early Aug. 30, according to poweroutage.us. The power temporarily went out while the governor was holding the morning news briefing.
The storm already was disrupting life in the danger zone. Several colleges and universities have closed, two of the largest regional airports have stopped commercial operations.
One of only many NOAA-used websites to track hurricanes showed a theoretical possibility that Idalia could depart Florida and make a U-turn into Florida's Atlantic-side coast. (The AP 08/30/23) - NOAA website National Hurricane Center (noaa.gov)
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