Remembering Hurricane Idalia two years later

This weekend marks the second anniversary of Hurricane Idalia's landfall in the Big Bend and impact on Southwest Florida.

Idalia made landfall on the morning of August 30, 2023, in the Big Bend, as a Category 3 hurricane. Even though its center remained about 155 miles offshore, it still produced 2 to 4 feet of storm surge from Englewood to Naples and up to seven inches of rain across Southwest Florida.

Idalia hit just 11 months after Hurricane Ian devastated the area.

In St. James City, water flowed through the streets once again. Storm surge coincided with king tide, flooding roadways.

On August 30, 2023, the Caloosahatchee River rose more than 3 feet, flooding First Street in downtown Fort Myers. That surge also sent a rogue boat into a neighbor's North Fort Myers backyard.

But that wasn’t the only boat that broke free in Idalia’s rough conditions. In Old Englewood, a pontoon boat traveled across Lemon Bay up and over the seawall, landing in a backyard. Other boats capsized in the rough conditions, some pushed onto land.

Parts of the road to Middle Beach on Manasota Key were washed away.

The Myakka River rose more than 3.5 feet in North Port. That combined with 5 to 7 inches of rainfall flooded low-lying roads and neighborhoods on Myakka Drive.

Sarasota county sustained an estimated 2.7 million dollars in damage. In Charlotte County, 66 structures had major damage,14 had minor damage. Power outages affected over 14,000 homes.

In downtown Punta Gorda, flooding shut down US 41 at the Peace River Bridge, one of 12 roadways in Charlotte County that became impassable. Drivers who tried stalled their cars. Homeowners in the historic district showed us their floor boards that came up as the water levels rose, proving that you don't have to be directly hit by a storm to be impacted.

In DeSoto County, rainfall ranged from 5 to 8 inches, with a maximum total of 7.11 inches near Arcadia. In Arcadia, the Peace River rose *after* the storm made landfall, as rainwater drained downstate. It stayed above flood stage until September 9th, 10 days after landfall.