Hurricane Idalia crashed into Florida's Gulf Coast with howling winds, heavy rains on Wednesday, and pounding surf, then lessened as it turned its fury on southeastern Georgia, leaving some residents in their houses.
Idalia was elevated to a tropical storm Wednesday evening after dumping heavy rain, unleashing strong winds, and knocking out power in parts of South Carolina and Georgia.
The water level at Charleston Harbor reached over 9 feet as the hurricane passed through South Carolina Wednesday night.
Photographs and video taken in the area close to Idalia's landfall show highways and neighborhoods flooded to the brim at the afternoon with ocean waters. There have been several power interruptions.
Two motorists dead in separate rain-related collisions on Wednesday morning, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report from earlier in the day. Later, DeSantis claimed that one suspected storm-related traffic fatality was being looked into by state officials.
According to the National Weather Service, this is the 5th highest water level ever recorded, and it is only slightly lower than the levels achieved during Hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Irma in 2017.