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August 29, 2023

Hurricane Idalia Strengthens and Takes Aim at Florida's Gulf Coast
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Hurricane Idalia skirted the western coast of Cuba early this morning as
it closed in on Florida's west coast, where it's expected to rapidly
intensify ahead of its landfall Wednesday as a Category 3 storm with
potentially life-threatening storm surges. Most of Florida's Gulf Coast
remains under hurricane or tropical storm warnings, with evacuation
orders issued for residents in low-lying areas of several counties,
including the greater Tampa Bay region, which has avoided a direct
hurricane impact for nearly a century. Idalia is expected to bring up to
12 feet of storm surge to Florida's Big Bend region.


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