Hurricane Idalia is almost out of Florida, but the storm continues to bring bad weather to parts of the state.
Idalia’s center has begun to move into southern Georgia, just hours after it made landfall near Keaton Beach on Florida’s west coast as a Category 3 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center’s advisory at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
The system is still battering parts of Florida with strong winds and rain. Coastal communities along Florida’s Gulf Coast were left flooded. And there is still a risk of tornadoes for some parts of northern Florida.
So, where is Idalia now? And where is it going?
Here’s what the forecast track shows:
Where is Idalia now? And how strong is it?
Hurricane Idalia, now a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds near 90 mph, was about 15 miles south-southeast of Valdosta, Georgia, and about 165 miles southwest of Savannah, Georgia, as of the National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. update.
Hurricane-force winds extend up to 25 miles from its center and tropical storm-force winds extend up to 230 miles.
Where is Idalia going?
Idalia is dashing out of Florida and is heading north-northeast at 20 mph into southern Georgia, according to the hurricane center. The forecast shows the system moving across southeastern Georgia Wednesday and near the South Carolina coast Wednesday night, likely as a Category 1 hurricane.
The forecast track shows Idalia weakening back into a tropical storm by the time it’s off the South Carolina coast, where it will then head out into the Atlantic and near Bermuda by early next week.
What type of weather will it bring?
A look at the weather:
Storm Surge: Forecasters early Wednesday cautioned that Idalia was expected to bring life-threatening and “catastrophic” storm surge to Florida’s Gulf Coast, with the most storm surge, 12 to 16 feet above ground level, expected to occur between the Wakulla/Jefferson County line and Yankeetown.
“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the right of the center, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” the hurricane center said.
Rain: Idalia is forecast to bring 4 to 8 inches of rain, with some isolated areas seeing up to 12 inches of rain from the Florida Big Bend through central Georgia, South Carolina, and through eastern North Carolina into Thursday. Flash, urban and moderate river flooding, with “considerable impacts,” will be possible.
Hurricane Idalia watches and warnings
Hurricane warning: Suwannee River west to Indian Pass, in Florida. Altamaha Sound, Georgia to Edisto Beach in South Carolina.
Hurricane Watch: Mouth of St. Mary’s River to Altamaha Sound in Georgia; Edisto Beach to South Santee River in South Carolina.
Tropical storm warning: Bonita Beach north to the Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay, in Florida; Sebastian Inlet in Florida to the North Carolina/Virginia border. Warning also in effect for Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds in North Carolina.
Storm Surge warning: Englewood north to Aucilla River, including Tampa Bay, in Florida. St. Catherine’s Sound. Georgia to the South Santee River in South Carolina.
Storm Surge Watch: Bonita Beach north to Englewood, including Charlotte Harbor in Florida; the mouth of St. Mary’s River to St. Catherine’s Sound, Georgia; Beaufort Inlet to Ocracoke Inlet in North Carolina; Neuse and Pamlico Rivers in North Carolina.