Idalia has made landfall and is moving across northwest Florida

He hurricane idaliawhich made landfall this morning with winds of 125 mph (205 km/h), has weakened and is now moving across northwest Florida as a Category 2 hurricane and dangerous storm surge.

According to the update from US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Idalia It has winds of 110 miles per hour (175 km/h) and is a category 2 hurricane on the Saffir Simpson scale (out of a maximum of 5).

The region known as “Big Band” suffers the devastation of this potentially catastrophic cyclone, which has millions of people on alert, because after it hits the coast with a category 3 (that is, as a major hurricane), it will continue north of the state on its way to Georgia and the Carolinas.

At 9:00 (13:00 GMT) idalia It was moving north-northeast at 18 mph (30 km/h) and produced “catastrophic storms” along Florida’s “Big Bend” coast and “damaging winds” extending inland across the state’s north.

At the time, Idalia was only about 20 miles (30 km) south-southwest of Madison, a rural town in northwest Florida, and about 45 miles (70 km) south-southwest of Valdosta, Georgia.

Webcams in the area Big Band today, shortly after dawn, he showed a rough and swollen sea.

The coastal boulevards of many coastal towns were occupied by the sea, which can be seen from those cameras scattered all over the coast that allow hurricanes to be seen live and without risk.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantisreiterated this Thursday morning his call to “stay safe, don’t put your life in danger,” citing the risks posed by Idalia and the forces the state has prepared to respond to emergencies in areas such as health, aid and rescue, energy , connectivity and mobility.

Authorities have warned that the biggest threat is sea level rise, which could rise as much as 15 feet (4.5 meters) in some parts of Florida’s northeast coast due to a combination of storm surge and tidal waves. live at this time of summer.

Regarding the storm surge, DeSantis emphasized: “it’s something big, big, very dangerous” what to avoid.

The state issued mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders for more than 1.6 million people ahead of the arrival of Idalia, which left 268,280 homes and buildings without power on Florida’s northwest coast with its winds and rain, according to data from power companies compiled by the website PowerOutage .louse.

According to the NHC, although Idalia should weaken after landfall, it will likely remain a hurricane as it moves through southern Georgia and near the coast of Georgia or southern South Carolina later today.

In addition to a hurricane and storm surge watch for Northwest Florida, the NHC issued a hurricane watch this morning for the US East Coast from Altamaha Sound in Georgia to Edisto Beach in South Carolina.

There are also minor warnings for areas of North Carolina and Virginia.

In the meantime, it is expected that Hurricane Franklin bring “tropical storm conditions” to Bermuda today, according to the NHC.

Franklin, packing winds of 110 mph (175 km/h), is about 180 miles (290 km) west-northwest of Bermuda this morning, where flights to and from LF Wade International Airport have been canceled.

Hurricane-force winds from Franklin extend up to 45 miles (75 km) from the center, and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 160 miles (260 kilometers).