In this photo taken with a drone, businesses are seen along 2nd Street in Cedar Key, Fla., ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Idalia, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Several local residents said they planned to ride out the storm at the Cedar Inn Motel, with red roof, lower left. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Tropical Weather
CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Idalia has made landfall on Florida’s west coast as a dangerous Category 3 storm and was unleashing life-threatening storm surges and rainfall. Idalia came ashore early Wednesday in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. The result could be a big blow to a state still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian. 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.
