Idalia raced through northern Florida and southern Georgia on Wednesday on its way to South Carolina, turning deadly and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.
The storm slammed into Florida’s Big Bend region about 60 miles southwest of Tallahassee before 8 a.m. as a strong Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, and it was still a Category 1 midafternoon as it pummeled Georgia with heavy rain and 75 mph winds.
It came ashore at low tide, creating less flooding than it could have.
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The storm surge from Idalia was initially expected to have “life-threatening” consequences near the Florida coast, according to a National Weather Service warning. The gentle slope of the continental shelf leading up to Florida’s west coast allows even a minimal hurricane to push a huge amount of water onto land.
At least two Floridians were killed in storm-related car accidents, but Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon that early indications are that the death toll will not be as high as in some recent storms. Hurricane Ian last year took at least 144 lives.
Idalia is the strongest hurricane to hit the Big Bend since an unnamed storm of identical strength struck Cedar Key in 1896. Michael, in 2018, was the strongest to hit the Panhandle when it roared in as a Category 5.
Michael caused catastrophic damage from wind and storm surge, particularly in the Panama City Beach and Mexico Beach areas, and it stayed at hurricane strength as it crossed west of Tallahassee into southwest Georgia.
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