Re: Hurricane Idalia slams Florida's Gulf Coast, Georgia, moves into Carolinas

[Democrat media fearmongering]

Mason Doyle <jama...@slut.com> wrote in

> Democrats are making excuse after excuse now because nature fucked
them over.

Idalia isn't finished with the Southeastern coastal states yet.

Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning as a powerful Category 3
hurricane over Keaton Beach, located along Florida's Gulf Coast near
Tallahassee. After rapidly intensifying on its path through the warm
waters of the Gulf of Mexico and briefly registering as a Category 4
storm, the hurricane hit Florida's Big Bend area with maximum
sustained winds of 125 miles per hour.

Idalia declined in strength as it moved across northern Florida into
Georgia and was downgraded to a tropical storm late Wednesday
afternoon. It moved into South Carolina Wednesday night, then
continued on to North Carolina on a path forecasters said would keep
it off North Carolina Thursday before it heads out to sea.

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The National Hurricane Center said Idalia was bringing heavy rain
and "life-threatening flash flooding" to parts of eastern North
Carolina early Thursday. But CBS News senior weather and climate
producer David Parkinson says, "The primary flash flood threat in
North Carolina concludes today by around noontime, and the rain is
done by about 7 p.m.," with the storm moving farther an farther out
over the Atlantic.

Idalia's maximum sustained winds were 60 mph. "Little change in
strength is expected today, but some gradual weakening could occur
Friday and Saturday," the center said, adding that storm surges
could reach 4 feet in some places on the North Carolina coast.

"Idalia is expected to produce additional rainfall amounts of 2 to 4
inches" and even up to 6 inches "across coastal North Carolina
through this afternoon. This rainfall will lead to areas of flash,
urban, and moderate river flooding, with considerable impacts," the
center said.

Two people, a 59-year-old Gainsville man and a 40-year-old Spring
Hill man, were killed Wednesday when they lost control of their
vehicles while out driving during the storm, the Florida Highway
Patrol said in a news release.

In Valdosta, Georgia, Wednesday afternoon, a man was killed when a
tree fell on him as he tried to clear another tree off a road,
Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Polk confirmed.

Some 300,000 homes and businesses in Florida, Georgia and the
Carolinas had no electricity as of 5:30 a.m. Thursday, according to
PowerOutage.us.

Videos and photos showed flooding and damage as the storm brought
strong winds, heavy rain and storm surge to the Big Bend region —
the stretch of the Gulf Coast where the Florida peninsula meets the
Panhandle. Storm surge in the area was forecast to reach up to 12 to
16 feet.

At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
and other state officials said efforts were underway to restore
power and roadways in areas hit by the storm.

"We're still assessing what is all going on on the ground in the
places that had the initial impact," said DeSantis.

Where did Hurricane Idalia make landfall?
Idalia made landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast at around 7:45 a.m. ET
near Keaton Beach, roughly 75 miles southwest of Tallahassee,
Florida's capital city, according to the National Hurricane Center.

It appeared the city of Perry, about 50 miles southeast of
Tallahassee, was hit hardest by Idalia, said Kevin Guthrie, director
of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, at the governor's
afternoon briefing. Guthrie told reporters at the time that the
state was coordinating with law enforcement and emergency personnel
in Perry to respond to reports of businesses that caught fire or
lost their roofs in the hurricane, in addition to one unconfirmed
report of a structure collapse.

Madison County, about 35 miles inland, was also weathering the
storm's impact, including "a lot of debris on the ground" and near-
total loss of power, Guthrie said.

Water levels along the coast of Florida's Big Bend region rose
quickly Wednesday morning, and reports from a tide gauge operated by
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicated that
levels reached 6.8 feet above the "mean higher high water, which is
an approximation of inundation in that area," the hurricane center
said.

A report from Cedar Key showed water levels had risen almost a foot
since the hurricane made landfall, even before high tide.

The hurricane center had warned of "catastrophic storm surge and
destructive winds occurring in the Florida Big Bend region."

Storm surge, which can occur before, during and after a storm, is
considered the greatest threat to life during a hurricane.

Many trees were downed, damaging homes, knocking down power lines
and blocking streets. The storm even toppled a 100-year-old oak tree
that struck part of the Florida governor's mansion in Tallahassee.
The state's first lady, Casey DeSantis, said she and their three
children were home at the time, but no one was injured.

Hurricane Idalia's projected path after landfall
Idalia continued on a northeasterly path after making landfall. Its
impact was felt across much of the northern and central parts of
Florida, with high winds and heavy rain in addition to dangerous
storm surge in coastal areas.

Meteorologists warned "damaging winds" were already spreading into
southern Georgia on Wednesday morning. The center of Idalia crossed
over the border into Georgia by 11 a.m. ET, the hurricane center
said, adding that the storm continued to drive up water levels along
Florida's Gulf Coast. By 8 p.m. ET, Idalia had moved into South
Carolina.

In a 5 p.m. ET update, the National Weather Service Tallahassee said
"tropical/hurricane warnings have been cancelled. The only concerns
through the next 24 hrs weather wise will be lingering coastal
flooding, especially at high tides."

The weather service there reported significant spikes in water
levels along the nearby Steinhatchee River after Idalia's landfall.
Meteorologists previously warned of potentially "unprecedented"
conditions in that area, saying a hurricane of Idalia's size had
never entered the Apalachee Bay, located just south of the capital
city.

"In this part of Florida, particularly the Big Bend coast, we
haven't seen a hurricane landfall of this intensity in many, many,
many years," Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane
Center, told "CBS Mornings" on Wednesday. Brennan noted the
continental shelf in that area of Florida's Gulf Coast amplifies the
storm's impact and makes the region more susceptible to devastating
storm surge.

"We're gonna see, you know, not just the storm surge but potential
for damaging winds extending well inland all the way across portions
of north Florida, into southern Georgia, into places like Savannah,
Hilton Head. We have hurricane warnings in effect for the fast-
moving hurricane. It's going to bring those winds really far inland
today and tonight," said Brennan.

In Crystal River, north of Tampa, City Manager Doug Baber told "CBS
Mornings" that the most severe storm surge threats would come later
in the day on Wednesday, during high tide.

Hurricane Idalia wind speeds
Before reaching Florida, Idalia intensified in the Gulf of Mexico
from tropical storm to hurricane strength Tuesday morning. It
strengthened further to a Category 2, with sustained winds of 100
mph, on Tuesday afternoon. Overnight, it rapidly intensified to a
Category 3 and then Category 4, with winds of 130 mph early
Wednesday, before retreating slightly back to Category 3.

The hurricane center later downgraded Idalia to a Category 2 storm,
as its maximum sustained winds dropped to 110 mph, and, later, 105
mph, with higher gusts recorded. It was further downgraded to
Category 1 at around 11 a.m. ET, as maximum sustained winds fell to
90 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. By noon, maximum
sustained wind speeds were at 85 mph.

Idalia was downgraded further to a tropical storm after its wind
speeds dropped below 74 mph.

Category 3 means a hurricane has maximum sustained winds between 111
mph to 129 mph. Category 2 corresponds with maximum sustained winds
between 96 mph and 110 mph, while Category 1 storms have maximum
sustained winds between 74 mph and 95 mph.

Any storm that reaches a Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Wind Scale — which runs from 1 to 5, based on a storm's
wind speeds — is considered a "major hurricane," with the potential
for "significant loss of life and damage," the National Hurricane
Center says.

With a Category 3 storm, "Devastating damage will occur," the
hurricane center warns. "Well-built framed homes may incur major
damage or removal of roof decking and gable ends. Many trees will be
snapped or uprooted, blocking numerous roads. Electricity and water
will be unavailable for several days to weeks after the storm
passes."

How long is Hurricane Idalia supposed to last?
Idalia was still a hurricane as it moved into southern Georgia, but
then weakened into a tropical storm. It was still bringing heavy
rain and the threat of tornadoes as it continued into South
Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said.

Idalia is expected to turn more toward the east and move offshore
into the Atlantic on Thursday, decreasing in strength as it travels.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-idalia-landfall-category-
wind-speeds-florida-impact-path-meteorologists/