‘This is actually unbelievable’: Idalia floods Gulf coast, careens inland with 90 mph winds

Hurricane Idalia is leaving a wake of destruction from the Gulf inland as it makes its way into Georgia.

The storm, which rapidly intensified into a major Category 4 storm before dropping back to a Category 3 early Wednesday, made landfall at about 7:45 a.m. near Keaton Beach, at the crux of Florida’s Big Bend region. Idalia brought “catastrophic storm surge” to a swath of the Gulf Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Forecasters said the areas from the Aucilla River, which leads to the Gulf at Apalachee Bay, to Yankeetown would see the highest storm surges, between 12 and 16 feet. In Tampa, Bill Hall watched in astonishment as a paddleboarder rode along Bayshore Boulevard, a major thoroughfare.  “This is actually unbelievable,” Hall said. “I haven’t seen anything like this in years.”

As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, more than 242,000 customers were without electricity as trees snapped by strong winds brought down power lines and rushing water covered streets. Along the coast, some homes were submerged to near their rooftops and structures crumpled. As the eye moved inland, destructive winds shredded signs and sent sheet metal flying.

Cedar Key was on the “dirty” right hand side of the storm, where impacts tend to be more severe. A National Ocean Service tide gauge there showed a surge nearly 9 feet higher than the predicted tidal level. “We have multiple trees down, debris in the roads, do not come,” posted the fire and rescue department in Cedar Key. “We have propane tanks blowing up all over the island.”

MAP: Power outages across Florida caused by Hurricane Idalia

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 also will 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.

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

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.”

Before the storm hit, DeSantis expanded the state of emergency to include 49 counties in Florida. More than 30,000 utility workers were gathered 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 3,700 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.

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 through 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.

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.