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Gallery|Weather

Photos: Hurricane Idalia unleashes fury on Florida, southeast US

Idalia barreled into the northwest Florida coast as a powerful Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday morning.

Hurricane Idalia unleashes fury on Florida
Paddleboarder Zeke Pierce travels across the floodwaters left behind by Hurricane Idalia at the sea wall in Tampa, Florida [Chris O'Meara/AP Photo]
Published On 30 Aug 202330 Aug 2023
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Hurricane Idalia has made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 storm, unleashing devastation along a wide stretch of the Gulf Coast.

On Wednesday, the storm raked across the southern United States, submerging homes, turning streets into rivers and downing power lines.

More than 330,000 customers in Florida and Georgia were without electricity as rushing water covered coastal streets. As the eye of the hurricane moved inland, high winds snapped trees and shredded signs, sending sheet metal flying.

“We have multiple trees down, debris in the roads, do not come,” the fire and rescue department of Cedar Key posted on social media.

A tidal gauge on the small barrier-island community measured the storm surge at 2 meters (6.6 feet) — enough to submerge most of the downtown.

“We have propane tanks blowing up all over the island,” the fire and rescue department added.

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event”. No major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting Florida’s Big Bend region, a curved area along the Gulf of Mexico.

Idalia grew into a Category 2 system on Tuesday. It quickly intensified into a major cyclone, hitting Category 3 on Wednesday before peaking as a Category 4 hurricane. It then weakened slightly.

Nevertheless, the state, still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s deadly Hurricane Ian, feared disastrous results.

Tolls were waived on highways out of the danger area, and shelters were opened. More than 30,000 utility workers gathered in the state to make repairs as quickly as possible in the hurricane’s wake. About 5,500 National Guard troops were activated.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently said the 2023 hurricane season would be far busier than initially forecast, partly because of extremely warm ocean temperatures. The season runs through November 30, with August and September typically the peak.

Hurricane Idalia unleashes fury on Florida
Workers clean the US 27 highway between the cities of Mayo and Perry, Florida, after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia. [Marco Bello/Reuters]
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Hurricane Idalia unleashes fury on Florida
Police in Clearwater, Florida, block access to a closed bridge after Hurricane Idalia made landfall. [Miguel J Rodriguez Carrillo/ AFP]
Hurricane Idalia unleashes fury on Florida
Workers clean up a blockade at the Interstate 75 highway near Gainesville, Florida, after Hurricane Idalia swept across the state. [Marco Bello/Reuters]
Hurricane Idalia unleashes fury on Florida
Members of the Tampa Fire Rescue Department remove a street pole after large awnings from an apartment building blew down in the high winds caused by Hurricane Idalia. [Chris O'Meara/AP Photo]
Hurricane Idalia unleashes fury on Florida
A flooded street is seen near the marina in Steinhatchee, Florida, a small town known for scallop harvesting. [Chandan Khanna/AFP]
Hurricane Idalia unleashes fury on Florida
Idalia has so far caused more than 140,000 homes and businesses to lose power in Florida. [Marco Bello/Reuters]
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Hurricane Idalia unleashes fury on Florida
Home and property insurance firms are likely to see claims rise as Idalia sweeps through Florida and the surrounding region. [Julio-Cesar Chavez/Reuters]
Hurricane Idalia unleashes fury on Florida
An electrical worker for the city of Tallahassee assesses damage to power lines after a tree fell on Old St Augustine Road, a scenic route known for its thick, tunnel-like canopy of oaks. [Phil Sears/AP Photo]
Hurricane Idalia unleashes fury on Florida
A fallen tree lies atop the Mayo Cafe and a truck parked outside in Mayo, Florida. [Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo]


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