Hurricane Idalia this morning made landfall at 7:45 a.m. EST near Keaton Beach, Fla., as a Category 3 storm packing sustained winds of 125 mph.
In a statement, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said, “catastrophic storm surge and damaging hurricane-force winds [will] continue.”
A NOAA National Ocean Service tide gauge at Cedar Key, Fla., recorded a water level of 5.9 feet, according to a National Hurricane Center brief released at 7:45 a.m. The highest surges are predicted at 12 to 16 feet for Wakulla/Jefferson County, Fla., to Yankeetown, Fla., and at 8 to 12 feet for Ochlockonee River, Fla., to Wakulla/Jefferson County.
Rainfall is expected to reach up to 8 inches with 12 inches in the area ranging from the Florida Big Bend through central Georgia and South Carolina as the storm moves northeastward.
