As of 5:00am EST, Hurricane Idalia is being called a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with winds of 130 mph. She is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast sometime this morning, Wednesday, August 30, 2023.
Hurricane Idalia is expected to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend coast and, according to the National Hurricane Center, bring once-in-a-lifetime damaging winds and life threatening storm surge. The Big Bend area—the curved coastline that connects the panhandle to the rest of the Florida peninsula—is expected to see storm surge of 12 to 16 feet.
Much of Florida is under a state of emergency as Governor Ron DeSantis has issued an emergency declaration in 49 out of 67 counties. Hurricane Idalia is already flooding streets and taking out power along Florida’s west coast. In an effort to keep Florida residents safe, 28 counties have been ordered to evacuate, hundreds of flights have been canceled in and out of Tampa International Airport and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, schools and hospitals have been closed and the National Guard has been deployed to prepare for rescues.
On the cruise front, Port Tampa Bay is under Port Condition Zulu meaning it has closed all operations until further notice. Port Canaveral is also under Port Condition Zulu due to the wind field of Hurricane Idalia. Once the storm has passed, port operators will do their safety inspection and reopen as soon as possible.
Port Everglades and Port Miami are under normal operations but multiple cruise ships from both ports have adjusted their itineraries due to Hurricane Idalia.
As always, stay in contact with your cruise line for any itinerary changes or cancellations if you have travel plans out of a Florida port in the next few days. And if you are in the path of Hurricane Idalia, please take every precaution and remain safe.