Hurricane Idalia makes landfall near Keaton Beach, bringing ‘catastrophic surge’ to Florida coast

Hurricane Idalia rapidly intensified into a major Category 4 storm before dropping back to a Category 3 early Wednesday before it made landfall along the coast of Florida’s Big Bend near Keaton Beach, along the Apalachee Bay, at about 7:45 a.m.

Idalia is expected to bring “catastrophic storm surge,” according to the National Hurricane Center. A NOAA National Ocean Service tide gauge at Cedar Key, Florida, reported a pre-landfall water level of 5.9 feet above mean higher high water, which is an approximation of inundation in that area, according to the National Hurricane Center.

As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, Idalia had maximum sustained winds of 120, down from 130 mph at 6 a.m. Idalia was 55 miles northwest of Cedar Key and 10 miles south-southeast of Perry and traveling north-northeast at 18 mph. Forecasters expect that the areas from the Aucilla River, which leads to the Gulf at Apalachee Bay, to Yankeetown will see the highest storm surges, between 12 and 16 feet.

MAP: Power outages across Florida caused by Hurricane Idalia

The National Hurricane Center said that storm surge could reach 8 to 12 feet in the area around the Ochlockonee River to Wakulla/Jefferson County. Yankeetown to Chassahowitzka could see 7 to 11 feet. Tampa Bay could see 4 to 6 feet. Areas as far south as Chokoloskee could see 3 feet of surge.

WATCH: Hurricane Idalia live webcams from Florida’s west coast

Evacuation orders and school closures were in effect up and down the Gulf Coast. If the hurricane arrives during high tide, storm surge could reach 8 to 12 feet in some areas, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event” since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend.

“Looking back through recorded history, NO major hurricanes have ever moved through the Apalachee Bay,” the National Weather Service Tallahassee said. “When you try to compare this storm to others, DON’T. No one has seen this.”

DeSantis expanded the state of emergency to include 49 counties in Florida, up from 46 on Monday, readying for Idalia’s landfall. That’s about three-quarters of the counties in the entire state. The new counties are inland and east coast counties near Orlando, and include Orange, Brevard and Osceola counties.

Additionally, at least 22 counties issued evacuation orders in certain low-lying and vulnerable areas.

More than 30,000 utility workers were gathering to make repairs as quickly as possible in the hurricane’s wake.

The governor’s office said in a statement Tuesday night that the Florida National Guard is fully activated with 3,7000 guardsmen in position throughout the state and another 1,800 on the way for a total of 5,500 guardsmen prepared to respond before Idalia makes landfall.

The state of emergency for Idalia excludes Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties. The temperatures in South Florida on Wednesday will be close to reaching heat advisory criteria, but slightly cooler, as Idalia makes landfall and the “outer spiral” rain bands from the storm arrive in the region.

Idalia will move near or along the coasts of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina late Wednesday or Thursday, the hurricane center said. Idalia could still be at hurricane strength by the time it moves over southern parts of Georgia and is it nears the Georgia and South Carolina coasts.

Tornadoes will also be possible in southeast Georgia and the coastal parts of the Carolinas through Wednesday.

Both Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced states of emergency, freeing up state resources and personnel, including hundreds of National Guard troops.

Hurricane warnings and storm surge

The storm will bring heavy rain and flooding to Florida’s west coast and Panhandle, with 4 to 8 inches falling from Tuesday into Thursday. Landfall areas in northern Florida could receive 12 inches.

A total of 50 county school districts and nine state universities have closed campuses ahead of the storm, according to the governor’s office.

Several Gulf Coast counties canceled school Wednesday, and the University of Florida announced that it would close its campus and cancel classes, both in-person and online, Tuesday and Wednesday. The University of Central Florida canceled classes Wednesday, and Florida State University campuses in Tallahassee will be closed through Friday, the university said in a post on the social media platform X,  formerly known as Twitter.

On the island of Cedar Key, in the middle of the current eye-track cone, Commissioner Sue Colson joined other city officials in packing up documents and electronics at City Hall. She had a message for the almost 900 residents who were under mandatory orders to evacuate the island near the coast of the Big Bend region. More than a dozen state troopers went door-to-door warning residents that storm surge could rise as high as 15 feet. “One word: Leave,” Colson said. “It’s not something to discuss.”

Not everyone was heeding the warning. Andy Bair, owner of the Island Hotel, said he intended to “babysit” his bed-and-breakfast, which predates the Civil War. The building has not flooded in the almost 20 years he has owned it, not even when Hurricane Hermine flooded the city in 2016.

“Being a caretaker of the oldest building in Cedar Key, I just feel kind of like I need to be here,” Bair said. “We’ve proven time and again that we’re not going to wash away. We may be a little uncomfortable for a couple of days, but we’ll be OK eventually.”

The National Hurricane Center forecast for the season predicted two to five major hurricanes for the 2023 Atlantic season.

Idalia is the third hurricane in the Atlantic this season. Hurricane Franklin, located near Bermuda on Tuesday, strengthened into a Category 4 storm Monday as the Atlantic’s first major hurricane of the season.

Franklin was maintaining as a Category 2 hurricane early Wednesday with top winds of 110. As of 8 a.m., it was about 110 miles west-northwest of Bermuda, where tropical storm conditions are expected today.

In addition to Franklin, forecasters also were monitoring two areas in the central tropical Atlantic — including Tropical Depression 11, which is expected to degenerate in a day or so. The other disturbance, only has a 10% chance of development as of 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Lastly, a tropical wave near Africa’s west coast had a 60% chance of developing in the next seven days.

The National Hurricane Center has been predicting an “above-normal” 2023 hurricane season as a result of ongoing record-breaking sea surface temperatures that continue to fight off the tempering effects of El Niño.

While sea surface temperatures have remained hot for longer than anticipated, El Niño’s effects, which typically reduce hurricane chances, have emerged more slowly.

The National Hurricane Center, which operates under the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, has forecast 14 to 21 named storms, including six to 11 hurricanes, and two to five major hurricanes.

The next storm to form would be Jose.

Information from The Associated Press was used to supplement this news article.