rrently moving through Georgia and is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall to the area. The storm has weakened to a tropical storm with maximum winds of 70 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
In Florida, more than 460,000 customers are without power, with the majority of outages in Jefferson, Madison, and Suwannee counties. Florida’s Division of Emergency Management is urging residents without power to consider going to a shelter for the night.
Officials in Pasco County, Florida, estimate that between 4,000 to 6,000 homes were damaged during the storm, with many homes along the coast receiving up to 5 feet of water. The county had space for 12,000 people in shelters, but only a few hundred sought refuge.
The storm’s destructive potential may have been amplified by warmer ocean temperatures. Recent research suggests that for every 1 degree Celsius rise in ocean temperatures, hurricane wind speeds could increase by 4 to 5%, leading to a 40 to 50% increase in destructive potential.
As Idalia moves towards the North Carolina coast, officials in Wilmington are preparing for the storm’s arrival. There is an enhanced tornado risk in New Hanover County, and officials are warning of moderate wind impacts and heavy rainfall. Visitors for the upcoming holiday weekend are being cautioned about dangerous ocean conditions.
Overall, the search and rescue efforts are ongoing in heavily impacted areas, and damage assessments will begin soon. The focus remains on restoring power to affected areas and ensuring the safety of residents.1 unconfirmed death in Florida so far as crews search heavily hit areas, governor says
There is only one “unconfirmed fatality” in Florida so far in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia as officials continue to search hard-hit areas, the governor said Wednesday.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently looking into a death that involved a “traffic incident,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
There have not yet been any confirmed deaths due to the storm, he said.
Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said most people did leave before the storm made landfall.
“We are not finding anybody at home, so therefore as the governor has talked about, many many people heeded the warnings to evacuate,” Guthrie said at a news conference Wednesday.
Guthrie said 75% of the initial search of the impacted areas has been completed. He said as of Wednesday evening, crews are still working.
On Thursday, officials will move on to securing and stabilizing hard-hit areas from getting any worse, he said. Crews will also go back through heavily impacted areas for a secondary search to make sure no one is left there.
Officials will start conducting damage assessments in communities of both individual property and public buildings, Guthrie said.
Hotter ocean temps may have increased Idalia’s destructive potential by 40 to 50%, scientist says
Before making landfall as a Category 3 storm, Hurricane Idalia went through a remarkable period of rapid intensification Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Its maximum winds increased by 55 mph over the course of just 24 hours.
With a vast pool of warm ocean water to draw from, the storm converted that heat into wind power. Strong winds are one of the more dangerous aspects of hurricanes, in addition to storm surge and heavy rainfall.
In a post on Wednesday, meteorologist and hurricane expert Jeff Masters at Yale Climate Connections drew the line between the extra warmth, higher wind speeds and how much damage the storm could inflict. Recent research has suggested that for every 1 degree Celsius that ocean temperatures rise, hurricane wind speeds could increase by as much as 4 to 5% — which in turn can amplify the storm’s destructive potential by 40 to 50%, Masters pointed out.
In 1987, Kerry Emanuel, a professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, theorized that hurricane wind speed can be expected to increase by about 5% for every 1 degree Celsius that tropical ocean temperatures rise.
Tom Knutson, a senior scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told CNN that 4 to 5% is “toward the higher end of the range across studies.” Some studies, like one that Knutson authored, showed a 3.75% increase.
But that increase — however small — can dramatically increase a hurricane’s damage potential, Masters explained.
“A 4-5% increase in hurricane winds may not seem like a big deal, but damage from a hurricane increases exponentially with an increase in winds,” Masters wrote. “For example, according to NOAA, a Category 2 hurricane with 100 mph winds will do 10 times the damage of a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds. This includes damage not only from winds, but also from storm surge, inland flooding, and tornadoes.”
More than 460,000 customers without power in Florida and Georgia Wednesday evening
More than 460,000 customers are without power in Florida and Georgia on Wednesday evening, according to tracker PowerOutage.Us.
About 99% of customers in Jefferson, Madison and Suwannee in Florida are without power as of 5 p.m.
Tropical Storm Idalia is now heading along the coast of South Carolina. It made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday morning.
Between 4,000 to 6,000 homes were damaged in Pasco County from Hurricane Idalia, official says
A vehicle drives down a flooded street in New Port Richey, Florida, on Wednesday. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP/Getty ImagesAbout 4,000 to 6,000 homes were damaged in Pasco County during Hurricane Idalia, according to Pasco County Administrator Mike Carballa.
Much of the damage occurred along the coast, and homes were inundated with water, Carballa told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
“That storm surge really inundated a lot of homes. So we’re estimating anywhere between (four and six thousand) homes in our county received anywhere from a foot up to 5 feet of water along our coastline,” Carballa said.
Pasco County, north of Tampa, is in Florida’s Big Bend region, which was where Idalia made landfall as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday morning.
Carballa said he watched first responders switch to water rescue operations Wednesday morning because residents did not heed evacuation orders.
Pasco County had space for 12,000 people in its shelters, according to Carballa, but the county took in around “a couple a hundred.”
Carballa said he received one report of a traffic fatality early Wednesday morning but did not have the details.
He said that fire rescue teams were able to get everyone out that wanted to leave.
According to Carballa, this storm was the worst in recent memory.
“This one here, we got buzz-sawed along the side, and quite honestly, while the effects could have been worse, we definitely took it on the chin,” he said.
Idalia has weakened to a tropical storm, National Hurricane Center says
Idalia is seen mostly over Georgia and the Carolinas in this satellite image taken at 3:49 pm ET on Wednesday. NOAAIdalia continues to weaken as it moves over southeastern Georgia and is now a 70 mph tropical storm,
1) What is the estimated number of homes damaged in Pasco County, Florida during Hurricane Idalia?
Hurricane Idalia has moved through Georgia and is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall to the area. The storm has weakened to a tropical storm with maximum winds of 70 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
In Florida, over 460,000 customers are currently without power, with the majority of outages in Jefferson, Madison, and Suwannee counties. The Florida Division of Emergency Management is urging residents without power to consider going to a shelter for the night.
Pasco County, Florida estimates that between 4,000 to 6,000 homes were damaged during the storm, with many homes along the coast experiencing up to 5 feet of water. Despite having space for 12,000 people in their shelters, only a few hundred sought refuge.
The storm may have been intensified by warmer ocean temperatures, according to recent research. Every 1 degree Celsius rise in ocean temperatures could lead to a 4 to 5% increase in hurricane wind speeds, resulting in a 40 to 50% increase in destructive potential.
As Idalia moves towards the North Carolina coast, officials in Wilmington are preparing for its arrival. There is an enhanced risk of tornadoes in New Hanover County, with warnings of moderate wind impacts and heavy rainfall. Visitors for the upcoming holiday weekend are being cautioned about dangerous ocean conditions.
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing in heavily impacted areas, and damage assessments will begin soon. The main focus is on restoring power to affected areas and ensuring the safety of residents. There is currently only one unconfirmed fatality in Florida, with officials still searching for any other possible casualties.
Praying for everyone affected by this devastating hurricane, hoping for safety and quick recovery. 🙏🌀