Hurricane Idalia strengthened to a dangerous Category 4 storm Wednesday morning as it steamed toward Florida’s Big Bend region and threatened to unleash life-threatening storm surges and rainfall.
Florida residents living in vulnerable coastal areas were ordered to pack up and leave as Hurricane Idalia gained strength in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and authorities warned of a “catastrophic storm surge and destructive winds” when the storm moves ashore later Wednesday morning.
Idalia was projected to come ashore as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of at least 130 mph (209 kph) in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. The result could be a big blow to a state still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian. It had grown into a Category 2 system on Tuesday afternoon and became a Category 3 just hours earlier Wednesday.
Yeah I get it. Everytime there’s a us landfall storm a LOT of misreporting occurs. Just trying to put accurate information out there.
The different between a 3 (where trees can fall and damage can happen) and a 4-5 (where houses will be leveled) can be quite extreme.
In the past the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center always stayed more conservative to calm folks.
The last few years though, it seems like the media equivalent of doomscrolling with exaggerated reports and lots of wild predictions. Especially after Michael.
For example my local center said the same with something like this which is technical true but only because Hurricane Michael was like…4 miles east of that left hand point where that little island/peninsula juts out.
It’s definitely caused a lot of panic and put more people on the roads late last night, which was less safe. My wife was even trying similar.