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Hurricane Idalia: See photos of Category 3 hurricane as it makes landfall in Florida

Emily DeLetter
USA TODAY

Wednesday morning, Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida's Big Bend, the area around Tallahassee where the northern part of the state meets the panhandle.

The Category 3 tropical cyclone, which has weakened from a Category 4, brought a storm surge, flooding and power outages for hundreds of thousands as it moves through Florida and heads toward Georgia.

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee described Idalia as an "unprecedented event," saying no major hurricane had ever hit the Big Bend's Apalachee Bay. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 49 of Florida's 67 counties, from the Gulf Coast to the Atlantic Coast.

Idalia's path is forecast to move through Florida along the Florida-Georgia border, than through the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

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Flooding, storm surges from Hurricane Idalia as it made landfall in Florida

Makatla Ritchter (L) and her mother, Keiphra Line wade through flood waters after having to evacuate their home when the flood waters from Hurricane Idalia inundated it on Aug. 30, 2023 in Tarpon Springs, Fla. Hurricane Idalia is hitting the Big Bend area of Florida.
Ken and Tina Kruse stand next to their apartment after the area flooded from Hurricane Idalia in Tarpon Springs, Florida on August 30, 2023.
Cars sit in flood waters from Hurricane Idalia after it passed offshore on Aug. 30, 2023 in Tarpon Springs, Fla.
A police car drives through heavy rains in Archer, Fla, on Aug. 30, 2023, after Hurricane Idalia made landfall.
Reporters wade through flood waters as it inundates the downtown area after Hurricane Idalia passed offshore on Aug. 30, 2023 in Tarpon Springs, Fla.. Hurricane Idalia is hitting the Big Bend area of Florida.
Chris Bodue paddles through his flooded neighborhood from Hurricane Idalia in Tarpon Springs, Florida on August 30, 2023.
A boardwalk at the Clearwater Harbor Marina in Clearwater, Fla., is flooded by the rising tide on Aug. 30, 2023, after Hurricane Idalia made landfall. Idalia barreled into the northwest Florida coast as a powerful Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday morning, the US National Hurricane Center said.
This photo provided by FDOT shows flooded interstate 275 Over Tampa Bay, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. Hurricane Idalia steamed toward Florida’s Big Bend region as a dangerous Category 4 storm Wednesday morning, threatening deadly storm surges and destructive winds in an area not accustomed to such pummeling.
Clearwater police block access to a closed bridge on Aug. 30, 2023, after Hurricane Idalia made landfall.

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Aerial images of Hurricane Idalia over Florida

This image obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shows Hurricane Idalia making landfall in Florida on August 30, 2023.
This image obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shows Hurricane Idalia making landfall in Florida on August 30, 2023.
A satellite captures powerful Hurricane Idalia's approach to the Florida coast on Wednesday morning, August 30, in this image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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