Packing ‘catastrophic’ storm surge, Hurricane Idalia makes landfall in Florida

Hurricane Idalia made landfall in northern Florida at around 8 AM ET with top wind speeds approaching 125 miles per hour. The storm underwent an eyewall-replacement cycle just prior to making landfall, dropping the speed of those winds slightly and taking the storm from a Category 4 down to a strong Category 3. The difference was small, and the storm is still extremely powerful and damaging.

Thanks to the warmth of the waters off Florida’s coast the storm intensified rapidly, going from a Category 1 to Category 4 in just a few hours. But as with many hurricanes, the substantial damage is likely to come not from the winds but from the storm surge carried ashore by the inbound storm. The National Hurricane Center is calling that surge “catastrophic.” Images and videos around the state are showing buildings awash with waves driven by the storm. In the area of impact—near the town of Keaton Beach, right at the point where the Florida peninsula and panhandle meet—a surge up to 16 feet has been predicted.

This is the third major hurricane to make landfall in Florida in a year. The repeated major storms have driven many insurers from the state, leaving homeowners to face this crisis with limited protection. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has a plan to deal with that. It’s called, “Knock on wood.”