Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida on Wednesday, Aug. 30. The Category 3 storm caused excessive damage across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.
Hurricane Idalia made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday, Aug. 30, bringing extensive damage to Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.
The National Hurricane Center says that the storm made landfall near Keaton Beach, Florida at 7:45 a.m. The storm had sustained winds of 125 mph, only five mph away from a Category 4 hurricane.
Idalia grew to its monstrous size rather quickly, undergoing rapid intensification in the excessively warm water of the Gulf of Mexico. Rapid intensification occurs when a storm sees an increase in wind speed of 35 mph in a 24-hour period.
Upon making landfall, Idalia weakened significantly and was officially downgraded to a tropical storm around 5:00 p.m. on Aug. 30, about 40 miles west of Savannah, Georgia. However, the devastation left in its wake was immense.
Reports of flooding, wind damage and power outages have been piling up across the southeast. In Florida, storm surge put many towns around the state’s “Big Bend” region underwater, including the town of Steinhatchee. Storm surge reversed the flow of the river running through Steinhatchee, destroying many boats. Roads and businesses in Steinhatchee were also reported to have been washed out by the raging flood waters.
In Georgia, wind and rain brought down trees and caused major power outages. The town of Valdosta took quite a bit of damage, being put under a flash flood emergency as the storm passed through. Residents were told to shelter in place throughout the storm and emerged to blackouts and debris littering the streets.
An estimated 230,000 people are currently without power, 140,000 in Florida and 97,000 in Georgia. As Idalia heads east, the total is expected to climb in the Carolinas. Currently, flooding is the biggest threat as torrential rainfall is expected.
President Joe Biden has approved aid for Florida, approving the disaster declaration early Thursday morning. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says that more people heeded the warning of the storm than during last year’s Hurricane Ian, leading to fewer casualties. Idalia also made landfall on a less populated portion of the state, making the threat to life less severe.
As of Aug. 31, there has only been one death reported from Idalia. A man in the Valdosta area died from a fallen tree while trying to clear another tree from the roadway.
Updates on Hurricane Idalia and other tropical systems can be found on the National Hurricane Center website.