CEDAR KEY, FLORIDA — Hurricane Idalia pummeled Florida’s Big Bend on Wednesday morning, bringing sustained winds of 110 miles per hour and more than eight feet of storm surge in some areas.
Hurricane #Idalia making landfall in the Big Bend Area this morning with catastrophic storm surge. Surge concerns will continue along the west coast even though is pulling away from our area. Highest surge will be around the time of high tide this afternoon hours. Remain alert!⚠️ pic.twitter.com/kl8VmpJDjA
— NWS Tampa Bay (@NWSTampaBay) August 30, 2023
The storm was downgraded from a Category 4 to a Category 3 hurricane just before it made landfall at 7:45 am near Keaton Beach. Cedar Key experienced between eight and nine feet of storm surge, shattering the town’s previous water level record.
#BREAKING: Massive storm surge around 7'o clock in Cedar Key, #Florida due to effects upon the arrival of Category 3 Hurricane #Idalia. Soon that water will flood other areas as well.#HurricaneIdalia2023 #HurricaneIdalia pic.twitter.com/B1Z0daBImu
— EvoCentral (@evocentralnews) August 30, 2023
Storm surge causing structural damage and blowing out the doors of condo complex in Cedar Key, FL from Hurricane Idalia @accuweather pic.twitter.com/WAJgBtZtku
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerAccu) August 30, 2023
Coastal areas along the gulf have also experienced flooding, including in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Fort Myers.
Prior to making landfall in Florida, Hurricane Idalia flooded part of a major state highway in Tampa that connects the city to St. Petersburg. https://t.co/JzBoXNaSGH pic.twitter.com/uviGOfHA51
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 30, 2023
I've been through too many hurricanes in my life, & one thing people assume *incorrectly* is that if you're not in the direct path, your damage isn't that bad.
— Eunic Epstein-Ortiz (@eunicortiz) August 30, 2023
Parts of St. Petersburg, a few hours south of where #Idalia made landfall, are flooded. We anticipate more later today. pic.twitter.com/BXnxuBbkPL
As of 11 am, more than 273,000 Floridians had lost power, with the vast majority of outages coming from counties in the Big Bend region. In Suwannee County, more than 95 percent of residents were without power.
#BREAKING: #Idalia makes landfall as a 125 mph category 3 hurricane in Florida's Big Bend region. More major electricity failures, power outages reported in Perry, #Florida.#HurricaneIdalia pic.twitter.com/E8sUMhJRpt
— EvoCentral (@evocentralnews) August 30, 2023
The National Weather Service issued an extreme wind warning in Dixie and Taylor counties and a tornado watch is in place for nearly 12 million people across central and northern Florida and southeast Georgia until 3 pm on Wednesday.
As of 10 am, Idalia’s maximum sustained wind speeds were measured at 105 miles per hour. The storm has reached Southeast Georgia and is projected to continue moving northeast into South Carolina.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story will be updated throughout the day.
