Florida Hit With Catastrophic Storm Surge, Damaging Wind After Idalia Makes Landfall

The US state of Florida is being hit with a catastrophic storm surge and damaging winds after Hurricane Idalia made landfall earlier in the day, the National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday.

“Catastrophic storm surge occurring along the coast of the Florida Big Bend and damaging winds spreading inland over northern Florida,” the NHC reported.

The hurricane’s maximum sustained winds are about 110 miles per hour (177 kilometers per hour) with higher gusts of wind.

“A NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] National Ocean Service tide gauge at Cedar Key, Florida, recently reported a water level of 6.8 feet above mean higher high water, which is an approximation of inundation in that area,” the report added. 

More than 243,000 households in Florida have lost electricity, according to the poweroutages.us website tracker. About 17,000 people are without power in Georgia and North Carolina, where Idalia is expected to hit harder later on Wednesday or Thursday.