Hurricane Idalia was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that caused significant damage across parts of the southeastern United States, especially in North Florida, in late August 2023.

Idalia remained a hurricane as it moved through Northern Florida and crossed into Southeast Georgia; it then pushed into the Carolinas as a tropical storm.

Later, it passed south of Bermuda, made a counterclockwise loop, then meandered off the coast of Nova Scotia while winding down.

Idalia caused significant damage to thousands of homes, businesses, and other infrastructure along its inland path, primarily in Florida, where winds and the resulting floodwaters were highest.

The hurricane's remnants produced dangerous rip currents across the Eastern United States during Labor Day Weekend, resulting in several additional deaths and numerous rescues.

The pace of organization quickened on August 26, while the disturbance was located near the northeastern Yucatán Peninsula, and at 21:00 UTC it was upgraded to Tropical Depression Ten.

[4] Later that day, and into the next, the depression drifted due to weak surrounding steering currents, with its center moving in a small counterclockwise loop.

[7] Early the next morning, Idalia began moving northward[8] toward the Yucatán Channel west of Cuba, intensifying along the way despite being impacted by moderate northwesterly wind shear.

[9] By 09:00 UTC on August 29, after passing near the western tip of Cuba, Idalia had developed an inner core and almost complete eyewall and the NHC upgraded the storm to a Category 1 hurricane.

[10] Later that day, Idalia began to rapidly intensify, reaching Category 2 strength[11] as it benefited from exceptional conditions, with sea-surface temperatures of 88 °F (31 °C), generally low wind shear, and high relative humidity levels.

[12] Idalia continued to rapidly intensify as it accelerated northward off the Florida Suncoast and approached the Big Bend region, reaching its peak intensity of Category 4 strength on the morning of August 30, a few hours prior to landfall, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 940 mbar (27.76 inHg).

[14] Idalia made landfall at 11:45 UTC, about 20 miles (30 km) south of Perry, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane, with sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 950 mbar (28.05 inHg).

[1] The system quickly weakened inland as it pushed through North Florida, becoming a tropical storm later that day after crossing into Georgia.

[15][16] Strong southwesterly wind shear then pushed the storm's convection well north and east of its center as it moved off the northeastern South Carolina coast and emerged into the Atlantic Ocean on the morning of August 31.

[17] That afternoon, Idalia transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone about 65 miles (105 km) southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

[18] As the storm moved to the east-southeast the following day, light wind shear along its path enabled the system to maintain its structure and intensity despite the lack of convection.

[25] A moderate risk of excessive rainfall was also issued by the Weather Prediction Center, for most of the same areas included in the Day 2 Convective outlook.

[46] The USA's National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) "Silent Barker" mission by United Launch Alliance (ULA) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station was put back from its intended August 29 launch date, with the Atlas V rocket taken back to the vertical integration facility (VIF).

[47] The Federal Aviation Administration rerouted planes and closed Gulf routes, and the Urban Search and Rescue teams, consisting of nearly 600 search-and-rescue personnel, were activated in Florida.

[62] Flooding occurred in Güira de Melena and Guanimar in Cuba, and high winds hit Pinar del Río Province.

Homes built on stilts and with properly secured roofs suffered minimal damage while older structures were severely affected.

[1][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79] As Idalia was nearing landfall on the morning of August 30, an extreme wind warning was issued for portions of the Gulf Coast of Florida, including Steinhatchee and Perry.

[80][81] Idalia made landfall in Keaton Beach, with sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h), causing severe damage in the area.

[90] Waves partially destroyed the balusters of Memorial Park in Jacksonville, which had been repaired following damage caused by Hurricane Irma just under six years earlier.

Bulloch's Public Works and Transportation Director, Dink Butler, who is responsible for overseeing county roads, estimated the cost of damages to be at $360,080.

[116] President Biden announced that he had directed FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell to fly to Florida and meet with DeSantis and that up to 1,500 federal personnel as well as 900 members of the Coast Guard were being sent to respond to the hurricane's impacts.

[119] FEMA opened up six temporary Disaster and Recovery Centers across Dixie, Levy, Hamilton, Suwannee, Madison, and Lafayette counties.

[120] Fourteen counties; Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Pasco, Pinellas, Suwannee, and Taylor, were made eligible for Individual, Critical Needs, Clean and Sanitize, and Disaster Unemployment Assistance.

Meanwhile, Alachua, Baker, Hillsborough, Leon, Marion, Polk, Sumter, Union, and Wakulla counties were only eligible for Economic Injury Disaster loans.

[126][127] Meanwhile, Berrien, Brooks, Camden, Colquitt, Echols, Lanier, McIntosh, Tift, and Wayne counties were made eligible to apply only for Economic Injury Disaster Loans.