Hurricane Idalia hits Cat 4. ‘Catastrophic’ storm nears landfall on Florida Gulf Coast
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UPDATE: Hurricane Idalia makes landfall in Florida. Click for details
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Still a few hours from landfall before dawn Wednesday, Hurricane Idalia intensified overnight into a dangerous Category 4 storm as it churned toward Florida’s Big Bend.
In a 5 a.m. update, the National Hurricane Service warned of “catastrophic storm surge and destructive winds” as Idalia roared ashore, pushing storm surge that could reach 16 feet in some areas. There were already early reports of flooding along the Gulf Coast from the heavily populated waterfronts around Tampa Bay to small villages like Cedar Key. Floodwaters were already filling its streets and flooding some structures before sunrise.
Idalia, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, had also spawned a string of tornado warnings across much of north Central Florida as its outer bands began sweeping the state.
Overnight, the fast-moving storm storm jogged a bit to the northeast in a long-expected turn that likely will spare the state capital of Tallahassee from the strongest winds around Idalia’s relatively small eyewall. Its full fury will be felt in the Big Bend, a sparely populated swath of nature and wildlife preserves know as Florida’s Nature coast. Some residents there were still debating later Tuesday whether to ride it out or evacuate. The memories of Hurricane Ian’s deadly flooding in Southwest Florida last year persuaded some to leave.
“It’s not the wind. It’s the water,” said Brian Smith, a charter boat captain in Steinhatchee, as he packed his car. After keeping a logbook of forecast changes and examining wind charts, he decided this hurricane was too dangerous to stay in his one-story home. Him, his wife and the dogs were heading to the panhandle.
On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis warned of heavy damage from a storm of force not seen in more than a century.
“If you are there when that hits, it is going to be very difficult to survive that,” DeSantis said.
The flooding threat extended far beyond the cone of concern for high winds. From Apalachicola to the Florida Keys, much of the state’s west coast remained blanketed with storm surge and hurricane warnings, and officials warned that Idalia’s rain, tornadoes and surge will be felt far from the strike zone.
The densely populated Tampa Bay region, for instance, was facing a record 4 to 6 feet of surge. Forecasters also cautioned that the track could still shift.
DeSantis urged Floridians to prepare for a major hurricane that will cause serious damage.
“We are going to be hit by a major hurricane,” he said in a Tuesday night news conference. “The eye will arrive onshore sometime tomorrow morning most likely, and it is going to have major impacts, particular in Florida’s Big Bend region.”
He emphasized that a storm of this magnitude — bringing what officials are calling “greatly concerning” storm surge — hasn’t made landfall in the Big Bend since the late 1800s.
At this point, there is growing certainty of a landfall in the Taylor, Dixie or Levy County region, which has largely been untested by a major storm. The Tallahassee office of the National Weather Service underlined that in a morning forecast discussion post.
“To put this system into the historical context, there are NO major hurricanes in the historical data set going back to 1851 that have tracked into Apalachee Bay. None. Don’t mess around with this,” forecasters wrote.
When Idalia comes ashore, it will bring destructive life-threatening winds, spreading inland across northern Florida. Forecasters are warning residents to be prepared for long-duration power outages.
The risk of storm surge is especially high for this storm as well. Storm surge is the No. 1 killer in hurricanes and the reason for the evacuation orders that have been called up and down the coast.
Coastal spots in Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie and Levy counties were expected to see the worst as of the Tuesday night forecast — 12 to 16 feet of surge above ground level.
“We’re going to have destructive wave action on top of that that can actually destroy homes and buildings and make this a place that is difficult to survive,” Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, said in a Tuesday morning video update.
South Florida felt the first bands of Idalia’s gusty winds Tuesday afternoon in the Keys, which are also expected to see a couple of feet of storm surge. Miami-Dade and Broward are mostly out of the hot seat, but gusts of strong winds — as well as a couple of inches of rain — began Tuesday evening. The rain and wind are expected to continue through Wednesday evening.
Idalia was not expected to be a huge rainmaker, but even a few inches could cause flooding in coastal South Florida, since Wednesday is the first king tide, the annual series of highest tides, of the year.
Officials urge residents to evacuate from historic storm
Evacuations were already underway in 27 counties, and major theme parks, schools, airports and universities have closed in anticipation of Idalia’s arrival.
Earlier in the day, Desantis pleaded for residents to follow evacuation orders and keep themselves and their families safe.
READ MORE: When will Florida feel the worst weather from Hurricane Idalia? See times for each area
“By the time we get to the end of tonight, you’re gonna see some nasty weather,” DeSantis said in a morning news conference. “Be warned about that and do what you need to do right now to keep yourself and your family safe.”
He ran through numbers to emphasize the state’s preparations – 55,000 National Guardsmen ready, 42,000 gallons of fuel available, and 25,000 linemen already stationed.
In Cedar Key, police were knocking on doors to convince residents, like Carol Carlin, to evacuate. Carlin, 28, spent the morning packing clothes at the shop her family has owned for about 13 years, Island Trading Post.
“If you look at it from the outside, it’s not the best,” she said during a brief break from packing. “This whole town is very, very old, so a lot of the infrastructure that’s on Second Street … it’s been there for 100-plus years. I’m just really worried it might not be the same when we get back.”
Carlin said many are leaving the tiny Gulf Coast town, which has a population of less than 700. But a friend has insisted on staying on the island, she said.
“He said his house is rated for a category 5 storm, but is it?” she said, with a furrowedbrow. “It’s never been tested.”
Government help on the way
The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in a Tuesday afternoon media conference at the White House, said the agency was prepared to respond to Idalia, including with search-and-rescue teams.
“They are all ready to pivot to the most impacted areas immediately after the storm,” FEMA Director Deanne Criswell told reporters. “We also have warehouses filled with commodities like food, water, blankets and medical supplies that are ready to rapidly move to the impacted area at the state’s request.”
Criswell said she spoke on the phone with DeSantis on Monday about coordinated state and federal preparations. The governor told Criswell, she said, that he was worried about people taking the storm seriously as well as making sure vulnerable people receive the help they need to evacuate away from the storm’s path.
The American Red Cross has also been readying supplies, said Brad Kieserman, vice president for disaster operations, in a Tuesday afternoon media call. He noted that there are more than 20,000 individual supplies stocked in Jacksonville, 75 vehicles to hand out meals and other supplies, and 100,000 shelf-stable meals.
“We have been moving supplies now for over 72 hours,” he said.
Kieserman said the Red Cross has staff placed in several counties, including Volusia, Seminole, Pasco, Hardee, Dixie, Taylor and Columbia Counties, but the plan is to focus on “vulnerable, rural communities” after landfall.
Particularly of concern in some of the counties are elderly and disabled people, said Sherman Gillums, Jr., director of FEMA’s office of disability, integration and coordination. Gillums said about 14.5% of the total population of all counties under evacuation orders are disabled, more than 1.5 million people.
Some of those counties with mandatory evacuation orders either do not have special needs shelters or do not have enough space in them for the demand in the county, according to state documents. If that’s the case, Gillums urged anyone to simply go to the nearest shelter to them, which is required to be ADA accessible.
“I would see other shelters as non-options for people with disabilities,” he said.
Kieserman, with the Red Cross, echoed Gillums and said Floridians should get to safety first, then call the Red Cross and ask for additional help meeting their needs if the current shelter does not provide it.
“Don’t wait to get out of the path of the storm, we can always relocate later,” he said.
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau staff writer Romy Ellenbogen and McClatchy DC White House Correspondent Alex Roarty contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 5:22 AM with the headline "Hurricane Idalia hits Cat 4. ‘Catastrophic’ storm nears landfall on Florida Gulf Coast."
