Updated, 7:45 a.m., Aug. 29, 2023 | The storm known as Idalia morphed overnight into a hurricane. It’s quickly approaching the Florida coast and is expected to make landfall Wednesday morning. It then will turn northeast to threaten southern Georgia and the South Carolina coast.
Forecasters say Idalia should lose some of its punch after it hits land, but it is expected to pack tropical storm force winds and heavy rains when it makes it to South Carolina by late Wednesday or early Thursday. A tropical storm watch currently is in effect for the Georgia and lower South Carolina coasts, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Tropical storm force winds are expected midday Wednesday along the South Carolina coast.
Idalia should move quickly through the Lowcountry and be centered off the North Carolina coast by midday Thursday, according to a forecast.
“The stage is set for Idalia to rapidly intensify before landfall,” the latest forecast said. “Shear should continue to lower over the cyclone as an upper-level trough departs the northeastern Gulf of Mexico and ridging builds closer to the cyclone. These changes, combined with extremely warm and deep waters the hurricane will be traversing, all strongly point to rapid intensification.
“The new forecast is similar to the previous one, and confidence is increasing in an extremely dangerous major hurricane making landfall Wednesday along the west coast or Big Bend region of Florida.”
The forecast warned of heavy rainfall as well as flash flooding and urban flooding “across portions of the west coast of Florida, the Florida Panhandle and southern Georgia beginning today
into Wednesday, spreading into portions of the eastern Carolinas Wednesday into Thursday.”
Get ready for the weather
Follow these links to read the City Paper’s emergency kit checklist and safety tips for hurricane preparedness and Charleston County’s 2023 Hurricane Guide.
This is a developing story. Come back for more updates and information.
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