Hurricane Idalia
Hurricane Idalia was a powerful category 4 hurricane that brought destructive weather as it made its way through the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.
After starting out as a tropical storm in the western Caribbean Sea, Idalia strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane on Tuesday August 29, 2023 near the western tip of Cuba. By the end of the day on August 29, Idalia was on the cusp of becoming a Category 3 storm.
Idalia brought heavy rains to Cuba, destroying some power lines.
The outer bands of Hurricane Idalia were forecasted to bring severe weather to the western coast of Florida, placing Tampa and surrounding areas under a tornado watch as it approached. Many areas across the state were issued mandatory evacuation orders prior to Idalia’s arrival.
Hurricane Idalia made landfall as a category 3 storm along the coast of Florida’s Big Bend on August 30, 2023. Idalia cost billions in damages and claimed many lives as it travelled through the southeast US and back out to the Atlantic Ocean.
Idalia is considered a historic storm because no major hurricane has ever passed through the Big Bend region of Florida before. Some regions in Florida were still recovering from Hurricane Ian the year prior as Idalia threatened the state.
More detailed information can be found from the National Hurricane Center.
Satellite imagery of this event:
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