Before Idalia, no major hurricanes on record had ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend.
The Category 3 storm made landfall near Keaton Beach with sustained wind speeds topping 125 mph just before 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Idalia flooded streets, downed power lines, snapped trees, destroyed homes and brought activity to a halt for a time Wednesday. The Big Bend, which is among the most Idalia-battered areas of Florida, is where the peninsula merges into the Panhandle, just southeast of the capital, Tallahassee, and well north of the Tampa metro area.
The storm was declared “an unprecedented event” by the National Weather Service in Tallahassee since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend. Shortly after landfall, water levels in the Steinhatchee River rose rapidly — surging from 1 foot to 8 feet in just an hour, the National Weather Service said.Crystal River, Fla., on Jan. 12, 2023.Flooding in Crystal River, Fla., on Aug. 30, 2023.Flooding in Ozello, Fla., on Aug. 30, 2023.Flooding in Ozello, Fla., on Aug. 30, 2023.
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