#Florida landfall with ‘catastrophic’ surge expected

Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning as an “extremely dangerous” Category 3 hurricane in Florida’s Big Bend, the first hurricane in recorded history to hit that area.

The storm hit land at 7:45 a.m., according to the National Hurricane Center, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph at Keaton Beach in Taylor County. As it has moves inland, it is losing some intensity, now at Category 2 with 105 mph sustained winds.

Forecasters predict storm surge of 12-16 feet above ground level and “destructive waves” as the storm makes landfall.

The predicted path of the storm crosses into southeast Georgia quickly after landfall, then following up the southern coast of South Carolina by the early hours of Thursday.

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