Idalia strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane with 100 mph winds as it lashes Florida ahead of a potentially catastrophic collision with the state’s west coast…
The hurricane is expected to hit as a Category 3, bringing powerful winds and a potential storm surge of 10 to 15 feet to the Big Bend area. That would stack a wall of seawater halfway up the second floor of an average building.
The Tampa Bay area could see storm surge of 4 to 7 feet. Anything greater than four feet of storm surge inundation in the Tampa Bay area would set a new record there. Six feet of surge inundation would set a record in Cedar Key on the southern side of the Big Bend…
Deadly storm surge up to 12 feet is possible in Florida’s Big Bend, a danger that only will be worsened by waves fueled by hurricane-force winds stronger than 100 mph. Storm surge accounts for nearly half of all hurricane-related fatalities, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says, and is the reason behind most storm evacuations.
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