Hurricane Idalia landed on Florida's west coast as a dangerous Category 3 storm on Wednesday, August 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 landed near Keaton Beach at 7:45 am with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph (205 kph). The storm brought flooding to the streets of Tampa and other communities.
Florida residents living in vulnerable coastal areas were ordered to pack up and leave as Idalia gained strength in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Those who did not were warned to find a safe place while the storm moved through. "Don’t put your life at risk by doing anything dumb at this point," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters earlier on Wednesday. "This thing’s powerful. If you’re inside, just hunker down until it gets past you." Storm surge was expected to rise as high as 15 feet (4.5 meters) in some areas.
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia "unprecedented" since no major hurricanes have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend. The state, still dealing with lingering damage from last year's Hurricane Ian, feared disastrous consequences.
Idalia had grown into a Category 2 system on Tuesday afternoon and became a Category 3 just hours earlier Wednesday before strengthening to a Category 4 and then weakening slightly to a high-end Category 3. Hurricanes are measured on a five-category scale, with Category 5 being the strongest. A Category 3 storm is the first on the scale considered a major hurricane, and the National Hurricane Center says a Category 4 storm brings "catastrophic damage."
Tolls were waived on highways out of the danger area, shelters opened, and hotels prepared to take in evacuees. More than 30,000 utility workers gathered to make repairs quickly in the hurricane's wake. About 5,500 National Guard troops were activated. In Tarpon Springs, a coastal community northwest of Tampa, 60 patients were evacuated from a hospital out of concern that the system could bring a 7-foot (2.1-meter) storm surge.
Idalia was expected to weaken as it moved inland, but it was still expected to be a hurricane while moving across southern Georgia later on Wednesday, the hurricane center said. It was then expected to reach the Carolinas. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster announced states of emergency, freeing up state resources and personnel, including hundreds of National Guard troops.
Idalia pounded Cuba with heavy rains on Monday and Tuesday, leaving the tobacco-growing province of Pinar del Rio underwater and many of its residents without power. Cuban state media did not report any deaths or major damage.
United States President Joe Biden said he had spoken to DeSantis and "provided him with everything he possibly needs."
Ian was responsible last year for almost 150 deaths. The Category 5 hurricane damaged 52,000 structures, nearly 20,000 destroyed or severely damaged.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently said the 2023 hurricane season would be far busier than initially forecast, partly because of hot ocean temperatures. The season runs through November 30, with August and September typically the peak.