Florida rushes last-minute preps for Hurricane Idalia even as impacts begin
FOX Weather is tracking Hurricane Idalia as it closes in on Florida's Gulf Coast. Some residents scrambled to prepare for the storm, while others went to the beach to enjoy the pre-hurricane waves.
Idalia creates rare surf break on Tampa beaches
Hurricane Idalia, still a day away from the Florida Gulf Coast has already churned up the surf for Tampa Bay beaches. Waters normally known for calm, have become a surfers' paradise. FOX 13 reported from Pinellas County and gave us the latest on last minute preps.
TAMPA, Fla. – In the last hours to prepare and evacuate Tuesday before the arrival of Hurricane Idalia in Florida, shelves were emptied, hurricane shutters were down and some residents ignored the warnings and hit the beach to experience the first impacts to hit the U.S.
Idalia is forecast to be the first major hurricane to make landfall on the nation this year and bring record storm surge to parts of the Florida Gulf Coast.
Water on the shelves is running low at a Target in Winter Garden, Florida, as Hurricane Idalia makes its way north in the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida on Tuesday.
(Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service / Getty Images)
Tampa beaches are under a mandatory evacuation order, but surfers paid no attention and hit the rare Gulf of Mexico waves ahead of Hurricane Idalia. Over 40 school districts have closed, and apparently, some kids were taking advantage of it while a FOX 13 reporter discussed the 28 counties with mandatory evacuations and 49 counties already under a state of emergency.
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Tampa officials told FOX Weather that they would close the bridges connecting the beaches on the Gulf-facing barrier islands to the mainland when winds hit 40 mph. The National Hurricane Center forecast a 4- to 7-foot storm surge for Tampa Bay. The previous record was 4 feet. Due to the angle of the winds and orientation of the Tampa Bay outlet, the feet of water could be trapped for 12–18 hours.
A surfer rides the waves kicked up by Hurricane Idalia as it approaches offshore on Tuesday in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
Cedar Key, an island north of Tampa in the cone of uncertainty, could see up to 15 feet of storm surge. The previous record was 6 feet.
A sign hangs on a window of a building ahead of Hurricane Idalia in Cedar Key, Florida.
(Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg / Getty Images)
An extraordinarily high tide, thanks to Wednesday's full Moon, will add to the height of the water. Fort Myers Beach, Florida, already saw high tide flooding ahead of the storm. Beach communities and roads were underwater. About 90% of the barrier island was destroyed by Hurricane Ian less than a year ago.
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High tide flooding ahead of Idalia along Fort Myers Beach
Tides already unusually high with Wednesday's full moon flooded Fort Myers Beach, Florida ahead of Idalia. Up to 90% of the barrier island was decimated by Hurricane Ian last year.
Feeder bands swept across Southwest Florida in the early afternoon with thunderstorms and destructive winds. The NWS issued a Tornado Warning for Collier County and Naples, Florida, on Tuesday afternoon.
Winds tore off parts of a roof in Fort Myers, Florida. The debris turned into a projectile targeting the windows of hotels and condos. The area is under a Tropical Storm Warning and bracing for 39- to 57-mph wind gusts when Idalia makes landfall.
Debris flies off a roof ahead of Hurricane Idalia in Fort Myers, Florida, US, on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Hurricane Idalia is building strength in the Gulf of Mexico as it heads toward landfall Wednesday on Florida's west coast, where it threatens to unleash floods and trigger blackouts. Photographer: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg / Getty Images)
Idalia's outer bands even hit Miami Beach, not in any watch or warning. The wind whipped around the palm fronds being drenched in heavy rain.
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Residents and business owners spent Tuesday boarding up, sandbagging and getting ready for destructive winds and heavy rain inland.
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Image 1 of 5The 7-Eleven in Clearwater was open but boarded up. (Joe Raedle)
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Image 2 of 5Residents fill sandbags to ward off flooding ahead of Hurricane Idalia in Indian Rocks, Florida. (Juan Manuel Barrero Bueno/Bloomberg)
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Image 3 of 5People stock up on food and water in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday as the city prepares for Hurricane Idalia. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP)
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Image 4 of 5An owner wraps cellophane around his gas pump to prevent it from being damaged by the rain from Hurricane Idalia in Clearwater Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle)
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Image 5 of 5People board up a window in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday as the city prepares for Hurricane Idalia. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP)
Hospitals along the Gulf Coast are not taking chances. The Florida National Guard installed a Tiger Dam Flood Barrier around the Manatee Memorial Hospital. The orange barrier is an alternative to sandbags.
Crews set up a fence around Tampa General Hospital to hold back floodwater.
Tampa General Hospital built a flood wall
Tampa is getting ready for Hurricane Idalia. FOX Weather's Nicole Valdes takes us to the Tampa General Hospital where crews used new technology to prevent flooding.
The Tampa International Airport canceled all flights and closed the facility ahead of Idalia. Crews covered electronic equipment in the terminals and tethered baggage carts, jetways and anything loose on the tarmac.
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Hurricane Idalia is forecast to make landfall on the Big Bend area of Florida on Wednesday.